New Porsche 992: eighth generation of the 911 presented – Economy

From Harry Pretzlaff

Harry Pretzlaff (hap)profile

November 28, 2018 – 15:59

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Porsche Experience Center is located on the wide lane of San Diego Freeway, less than half an hour from downtown Los Angeles where there is no traffic jam. For two years, car enthusiasts will be able to test the models of the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer on several test tracks. This time, however, the asphalt tracks were closed to visitors as Porsche introduced the new 911er on the eve of the L.A. Autoshow fair. The world premiere was like a trip back in time. In addition to the new edition of the sports car from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, the last seven generations of endurance runners have gone beyond the two booths on which the media had shuddered in the Californian night air.

California is the world's largest market for 911s. More than a third of sports cars are sold in this state, reports sales director Detlev von Platen. "California is almost our second home," said the director. It tells the story of the important New York importer who sold sports cars from Stuttgart, California in the 1950s, where he loved both Hollywood stars and runners and provoked a lot of hype. . from Platen. Porsche was able to settle there quickly. Overall, the automaker today sells as many cars on the US market as ever before.

The boss of the company, Blume, talks about close ties with the new 911er

For Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche, the presentation of the new sports car is a double first. "The new 911 is the first car that I have completely taken care of as Porsche's CEO, from the first pencil stroke to the market launch.This gives me a very close connection with this vehicle," he said. Blume. "I've always had a close dialogue with designers about how we design the new generation – integrate technical features and connect hand-held elements to digital elements," said the 50-year-old Frenchman. "The problem was that the new 911 took a big step in the future while recognizing the Ur-Elfer of 1963. As with previous generations, each reflecting the spirit of the times," says Blume.

As a world novelty, the automaker has called a standard built – in safety technology that detects the risk of hydroplaning when water is on the road. This ratio of sensors, which are installed in the wheel arches, as a result of which, the electronic antiskid protection reacts very sensitive. A night vision wizard with a thermal imaging camera is available for the first time for a fee. New digital offers are also available, such as the "personal badistant", which must be available 24 hours a day, by phone or on the Internet. For a package of 99 euros a month, do not just order a table at the restaurant, organize a short break or get a gift, but also get a ticket for a truly complete event. This service is provided by a small team in Luxembourg, reports a Porsche employee at the premiere.

The best-selling models are off-road vehicles

Porsche Boss Flower calls the 911er the most important car of the brand, although measured in the paragraph is no longer true. The SUVs have taken over this role: from the Macan leader were sold last year to nearly 94,000 copies. Even the big brother Cayenne was with nearly 64,000 cars far ahead of the 911, of which nearly 32,200 cars were sold. Nevertheless, in the opinion of the CEO of Porsche, the 911er is of paramount importance. "This sports car is the icon of Porsche and will remain so in the future," he said. "What the penalty represents and technically offers, we transfer to the other series.That is how we bring the technology we tested in motorsport in our sedans and SUVs."

"The 911s are more powerful than ever, not least because we have been able to expand the range of vehicles closely related to motorsport, the GT models – so we have won a lot of fans," said Blume. There are now about 20 variants of the 911s. Although the generational change is imminent, sales increased 19% in October and 9% in the US, said Platen's sales manager. However, there are also bottlenecks in some variants as the company lags behind in the certification of the models according to the new WLTP emission control procedure and in the equipment of petrol engines with particle filters , compulsory since September.

An badyst criticizes the missing electrical variant

Automotive expert Tim Urquhart of IHS consultant Markit is very impressed with the new 911er. "It looks awesome and will definitely be a success," says the badyst. He is nevertheless a little disappointed. "I'm surprised there is no purely electric version," Urquhart says. It is clear that the internal combustion engine will not remain the dominant drive. In his opinion, Porsche could have offered the full range of the 911, whether it's racing cars with burners or pure electric cars.

The Porsche boss, however, does not hold anything of this proposal. Blume notes that the new 911 is already designed for a hybrid drive, but for the start, it comes once as a gasoline engine. "We are developing battery technology even further," says Blume. The Porsche boss also owns no vehicles, which depends on the variant with internal combustion engine and exclusively electric propulsion engine. "When we design a purely electric vehicle, it must be uncompromising, just like the Taycan: a real Porsche with all the benefits of electromobility," says Blume.