It’s been 75 years since the first Porsche sports car was allowed to hit the road — and enter our dreams
WHEN REVISITING automotive history, few names resonate with the same fervor and reverence as Porsche. And as many of you already know, 2023 carries with it an important milestone for the brand — it marks seven and a half decades of automotive brilliance.
Porsche Philippines was certainly savvy to join in on the celebrations, and it did this by holding a “Festival of Dreams” event at PGA Cars Greenhills last Saturday. And joining the event were lots of local Porsche fans (including the members of Porsche Club Philippines), regional Porsche executives, the founder of PGA Cars, members of the media and the German ambassador to the Philippines. Everyone was clearly enthralled by the iconic Porsche sports cars that were put on exhibit for the occasion.
And nestled in the heart of this anniversary is a legacy that transcends vehicular prowess. It is in fact, a testament to the car brand’s relentless pursuit of car perfection — almost like the creation of a symphony that is composed in the language of aesthetics, horsepower, and precision engineering. This is indeed very Porsche.
It was also the ideal occasion to locally launch the new Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, which expands the all-new Cayenne lineup here after it was rolled out last September. The new Cayenne E-Hybrid is equipped with a three-liter V6 turbo engine, paired with a new electric motor that is integrated into the vehicle’s eight-speed automatic transmission. This gifts the vehicle with a combined power output of 470ps and 650Nm of torque. And this enables the Cayenne hybrid to go from a standstill to 100kph in just 4.9 seconds, eventually reaching a top speed of 254kph. Its new, high-voltage battery serves up 8kWh more, enables the car to run on purely electric mode for about 90 km. Furthermore, the car’s HV battery can be fully charged in two hours and 15 minutes.
“The introduction of the new Cayenne E-Hybrid in the country represents the latest chapter in our evolving success story,” expressed Porsche Philippines President and CEO Roberto Coyiuto III. “Through models like this, we are redefining the concept of luxury by taking environmental and personal wellbeing into account along with performance. It also signifies our intention to continuously set the benchmark in the domestic luxury auto sector.”
Meanwhile, PGA Cars also took the opportunity to hold the groundbreaking ceremony on its upcoming Porsche Center in Manila — to be housed within a 15-storey building that is slated to rise beside the existing Porsche facility, and will be fully built in three years. The objective of the new facility is to integrate the showrooms, corporate offices, and service areas within one edifice. There will be underground parking levels that will go all the way down to Basement 4. This will certainly expand the brand’s car service capacity; and will enable Porsche to include a first-ever, dedicated facility for its fully electric vehicles. Moreover, it will also ensure larger areas for Porsche products, in anticipation of future Porsche retail space requirements. And obviously, the place will look ever more iconic.
“As we look back on a year of vibrant expressions of Porsche passion in Asia-Pacific, we are glad that Porsche Philippines wraps up our 75th anniversary of sports cars with another thrilling activation,” exclaimed Hannes Ruoff, CEO of Porsche Asia Pacific. He furthered that, “As we officially mark the groundbreaking of the new Porsche Center Manila, we hope to usher in a new era of success for our trusted partner — PGA Cars.”
