For 70 years, the name Porsche has stood not only for a brand, but for an attitude to life. Dr. Wolfgang Porsche is delighted to accept the »Brand Personality of the Year 2018« award on behalf of all employees who contribute to the company’s success story on a daily basis.
»Our family and employees created a Porsche DNA very early on that is harmonious and authentic and conveys a very honest driving experience. You can feel this in every single model. When someone blindfolded enters a Porsche, he immediately recognizes which brand it is. Every Porsche contains our icon 911,« says Dr. Wolfgang Porsche.
Dr Porsche, you will receive the »Brand Personality of the Year« award – and this in the year that Porsche celebrates its 70th anniversary. What do you believe has made the brand successful for so many years and allowed it to secure the leading position it still holds?
First of all, thank you very much. I am very pleased to receive this award but, as always, I accept it on behalf of all employees of our Group who work very hard to deliver the best possible vehicles to our customers. Today, more than ever, the Porsche brand stands for efficiency, sportiness and confidence in every driving situation. And it can be counted on to combine quality and emotion into an overall experience.
On your website it says, »For 70 years, everything at Porsche has revolved around fascination with sports cars.« Would you describe it that way, or does the brand stand for even more, in your view?
It hits the nail on the head. However, over the course of those 70 years, the meaning of the terms fascination and sports car have changed. In the past, a Porsche 356 fascinated with its simplicity. Its modern successors are now complex technical masterpieces in which every detail is right. And sports cars are no longer limited to two or 2+2-seaters, SUVs can also be sporty. Our brand stood and stands for a very special attitude towards life, for high expectations in terms of distinct individual mobility. Our customers spend a lot of time in cars. We successfully portray this time as recreation and profit.
There are now countries where the Porsche label is mainly used for SUVs. How do you, as a man who grew up with the Porsche sports car, see the growing Porsche family, which now includes limousines and SUV types that are further and further away from the classic sport car?
You just have to think about it the other way around. Of course, customers are demanding ever higher utility value from cars, and the number of drivers worldwide has multiplied dramatically since the 1950s. From very early on, our family and employees created Porsche DNA that is coherent and authentic and conveys a very honest, fascinating driving experience. You can feel this in every single Porsche model. When someone gets into a Porsche blindfolded, they immediately know what brand it is. Our iconic 911 can be found in every Porsche.
More and more brands in your Group are building more and more models that compete directly with one another on the market – at what point do you think the variety of models should be limited? Does it really make sense for every manufacturer to occupy every niche?
First of all, you have to consider that VW is the only multi-brand group operating worldwide. At the same time, more and more customers are demanding more individual solutions, socalled niches. Thanks to our modular platform strategy, we have succeeded in establishing a very high technical level in all our brands and models. This basis then makes it possible to differentiate significantly using design and emotion. We are not guided by the sensitivities of our managers, but by the wishes and needs of our customers. Former head of Porsche Peter Schutz has said, »Customers always say exactly what they want. We just need to get our ears close enough to their mouths.«
First published in the Automotive Brand Contest 2018 catalogue. Pictures: Source German Design Council.
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