Only ten months after the start of worldwide sales, Porsche AG’s Leipzig factory has already built the 25,000th Panamera.

The milestone vehicle, a ruby-red Panamera with an efficient 3.6-litre, 300-horsepower six-cylinder engine, will be delivered to a customer in the USA.

“The benchmark performance of our Panamera V6 models wins over our customers worldwide,” said Porsche Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Bernhard Maier. “Even in the USA, a country with a preference for V8 engines, they impress with their efficiency and sportiness. The 4-door combines these aspects with the comfort and exclusivity of the luxury class,”

The Panamera has been on sale globally since September 2009, initially with the 8-cylinder Panamera S, Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo. Since May 2010, the Panamera and Panamera 4 have supplemented the product range with their V6 engines.

In addition to the Panamera, the sporty, all-terrain Cayenne is also being produced in the same facility in the State of Saxony.

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[Source: PCNA]

The Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has appointed Klaus Zellmer (42) Managing Director of Porsche Germany, Bietigheim-Bissingen. He succeeds Bernhard Maier, who in April became Board Member of Sales and Marketing for the manufacturer of premium sporting cars. Porsche Germany is a one-hundred percent subsidiary of Porsche AG.

Klaus Zellmer has been working at Porsche since 1997. Zellmer, who studied business administration in Germany, Great Britain and the USA, was, among others, active in developing the Porsche distribution network in France, as well as Regional Manager for North America. Between 2002 and 2006, he was responsible for the area of Sales and Marketing at Porsche Leipzig GmbH. In 2007, the automobile expert assumed the role of Head of Marketing at the sales company Porsche Germany in Bietigheim-Bissingen.

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[Source: Porsche AG]

According to President and CEO Michael Macht, “We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers performance and a cruising range comparable to that of a sports car today.”

If Porsche’s 918 Spyder Concept is a glimpse of what’s to come, we say it’s time to go by an extension cord.

In today’s press release, Porsche announced they will begin “practical e-mobility tests” on three research cars, based on the Porsche Boxster model, but with all electric drives. The test is designed to provide insight into new electric drive components and battery systems for a possible electric sports car in the future. In other words, they want to play with it on the road and see what works and what doesn’t.

With the recent on track success of the new GT3 R Hybrid and having just had the chance to play with the new Cayenne Hybrid S at Barber Motorsport park, we feel that Porsche is well on their way to achieving an all electric sports car with “the performance and range” comparable to today’s Porsches. The full press release is below for your review.

Furthering the Porsche Intelligent Performance development philosophy of combining high performance with lower fuel consumption and emissions, Porsche AG will begin practical e-mobility tests as part of the Stuttgart Model Region for Electromobility in early 2011.

With the Cayenne S Hybrid, Porsche also offers its first production car able to run under electric power alone. With maximum output of 380 hp, the Cayenne S Hybrid consumes just 8.2 L/100 km in the NEDC cycle and pares CO2 emissions to 193 g/km. The hybrid technology from the Cayenne S Hybrid will also be featured in the Panamera S Hybrid, which will enter the market next year.

[Source: PCNA]

Following the impressive performance at the Nürburgring 24 hour race where the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid demonstrated the potential of its groundbreaking technology over 22 hours and 15 minutes and led the overall classification for more than eight hours, the orange and white liveried 911 racer will now travel to the USA and Asia. Porsche has received an invitation to contest the season final of the American Le Mans Series, the race series featuring the world’s fastest sportcars, at the ‘Petit Le Mans’ at Road Atlanta on October 2. The race runs over a distance of 1,000 miles or a maximum of ten hours. The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will not be eligible for points, as hybrid technology is not yet included in the GT regulations.

For November 7, Porsche then plans to race the 911 GT3 R Hybrid at the season final of the new Le Mans International Cup, the six hour race in Zhuhai, China. Again here, the vehicle is not competing for points.

“After the 911 GT3 R Hybrid’s fantastic performance at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, we are now eager to gain more experience with the hybrid technology on a variety of race tracks,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “At the same time, we would like to show fans and customers in our most important markets how our ‘race lab’ performs under racing conditions,” adds Kristen.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, featuring two electric motors at the front axle each developing 60 kilowatts to supplement the 480 horsepower normally-aspirated rear-engine, expressly typifies the philosophy of “Porsche Intelligent Performance”: Under braking, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid converts kinetic energy into electrical energy and stores it in a flywheel. During acceleration, this energy is automatically delivered to the front wheels, supporting the combustion engine. This leads to a reduction in fuel consumption and increases the cruising range. Moreover, drivers can manually utilise the stored energy with a boost-paddle on the steering wheel for overtaking.

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[Source: PCNA]

This Wednesday, July 21, 2010, the Board of Management and the Group Works Council of the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, have reached a long-term agreement to secure its production locations. The new regulations will expire on July 31, 2015 and will supersede current regulations dating back to 2005. The company thereby creates the prerequisite for continued productivity increases and flexibility, and lays the groundwork for lasting positive corporate development. In response, in the next five years, Porsche will make an investment in the high hundreds of millions in infrastructure and project innovations. By the end of the year, separate employee agreements will be reached in its German subsidiaries.

The core agreements are as follows:

• Job security for the coming five years for the entire staff of Porsche AG.
• Uninterrupted production of the mid-engine sportster Boxster as second mainstay along side all 911 models in the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen.
• The hiring of 100 trainees or dual college students per fiscal year for technical and sales positions. Further, through 2015, the company pledges to hire graduates to positions with open-ended employment contracts.

In addition, beginning in the spring of 2011, the Board of Management and the Group Works Council agreed to produce the mid-engine sportster Cayman at its Zuffenhausen plant. The lacquered body of the Cayman model will continue to be supplied by our Finnish assembly partner Valmet Automotive.

Should vehicle production reach capacity in Zuffenhausen, Porsche will draw on its production turntable capacities of the Volkswagen Corporation

It is agreed that the production location Weissach will continue to be strengthened: Going forward, Porsche will continue to employ all significant developments and intensify research into alternative engines. Further, in the summer of 2011, all segments of Porsche marketing will be centralized at the Zuffenhausen location.

Michael Macht, Chairman of the Board of Porsche AG, stated: “With this agreement securing production locations, we will be optimally positioned for growth in the coming years. This socially balanced compromise guarantees Porsche employees more job security in the future. It also guarantees the company a high degree of flexibility. With this agreement as a foundation, we are optimistic that we can increase sales and profits in the coming years. Worldwide, Porsche received the highest number of contracts in the company’s history during the months of June and July, proving that the company is on the road back to its former power.”

Uwe Hück, Chairman of the Group Works Council, commented: “This arrangement guarantees that in the near future, Zuffenhausen and Weissach will once again run at full capacity. With this, the highest level of investment in the history of Porsche, we will secure our economic self-sufficiency and thereby our competitiveness. Further we have stipulated additional development capacities and added the Boxster as the second mainstay to Zuffenhausen. Our employment for 2015 is thereby secured. I fear that we will add extra shifts as early as January. I am especially happy once again to be able to train 100 young people per year and offer future-oriented training through our program ‘Fit for Electric Mobility’. The best part is that all trainees will be hired with an open-ended term. This agreement is the first step. By the end of the year we want to secure production lo-cations for our subsidiaries as well.”

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Matthias Müller New Chairman of the Porsche AG Board of Management

[Source: Porsche AG]

Taking effect on October 1, 2010, the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has appointed Matthias Müller (57) the new Chairman of the Board of Management of the world-famous manufacturer of premium sporting cars. Müller, moving from Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, to the Top Management of Porsche AG, is following in the footsteps of Michael Macht (49) appointed a Member of the Group Board Management of Volkswagen AG by the Supervisory Board. In future Macht will be responsible for the Production Division and, as a result, the control and coordination of all plants within the Volkswagen Group.

Previously in charge of Product Planning, Product Management and Model Series for the VW Group and the Volkswagen Brand, Matthias Müller has successfully promoted the development of Product Lines in the last three years within the VW Group. “Matthias Müller gives us the exceptional competence of an outstanding product expert benefiting the interaction of independent brands within an Integrated Automotive Group leading the market worldwide. Contributing this knowledge, he guarantees that Porsche, as a world brand, will not only maintain, but further expand its top position”, states Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, on the appointment of Müller, who hails from the town of Chemnitz in Eastern Germany.

Dr. Porsche also expresses great praise for the outstanding services of the former Chairman of the Board of Management: “Michael Macht took over the leadership of Porsche AG in a period crucial to the Company. Through his skill and many years of experience within the Porsche Group, he has succeeded in re-stabilising the Company within a short time, placing our operations on a strong and solid foundation. Concluding the Fundamental Agreement between Porsche Automobil Holding SE and Volkswagen AG, Michael Macht has played a significant role in setting out the ongoing schedule for our fully Integrated Automotive Group.”

The Chairman of Porsche AG’s Group Works Council, Uwe Hück, also congratulated the former Chairman of the Board of Management: “I wish Michael Macht all the very best and lots of success in his new position on Volkswagen’s Group Board. I know that in future the people at Porsche will remain close to him and that he will continue to work all-out to use the full capacity of our plants in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig to the benefit of the Company.

Hück also bid a warm welcome to the new Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG: “From numerous talks with Matthias Müller I know that he will maintain Porsche’s unique and independent position also in future. Precisely this makes him the right man for us representatives of the workforce, which is why we give him our full support. We already see him today as a genuine “Porsche man” enabling us to really push down the throttle at all our plants. I am confident that the workforce will work well and successfully with Matthias Müller to the benefit of the Porsche Company as a whole.”

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A Porsche is not just another car, just as the tires on a Porsche are not the same as any other car. There are certain tires that are recommended, or even required, for every Porsche that is out there. Many Porsche models have different sized tires in the front and rear, which means you need to look at the tire make, tire-type, and something known as the N-specification to be sure you have the proper tires for the Porsche you drive.

For a tire to gain an N-specification it has to pass various tests as well as gain approval from Porsche’s engineering department. All prototype tires must meet the handling, noise, and hydroplaning requirements of Porsche before they can be approved for production. Other factors that the tires will be evaluated on include serviceability, uniformity, and high-speed durability. Once these tests have been passed and the tires approved by engineering, they will become what are known as N-specification tires.

N brandings usually run from N-0 to N-4. When a tire has an N-0 specification, it means that it is a new approved version of a tire design. Next generations that have been improved either externally or internally will be N-1, N-2, and so on for as long as new versions of the tire are produced. A completely new tire would receive the N-0 specification and again run up from there. Any tire that has N-markings on its sidewall is approved for use on a Porsche vehicle.

In cases where the approved N-specification tires may no longer be available for a particular model, it is recommended that the vehicle owner choose a higher N specification design for all four tires that are compatible with that particular model. Mixed tire types will not work on a Porsche, so you won’t be able to have different types of tires on one vehicle.

While Porsche is known for great handling, every driver should keep in mind that new tires will not offer the full traction you might be used to. It is recommended to break the tires in while driving at moderate speeds for the first 60 to 100 miles after the new tires are put on. This is especially important if the tires are replaced one axle at a time. As the tires are broken in, you will notice your Porsche’s handling will return to what you are used to.

Porsche tires are just as important as any other part of this classic car, and assuring that you have the correct tires can help keep it’s handling as good as the day you bought it.

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