Porsche 2003 Annual Report Download - page 38

The Porsche Brand
During the 2003/04 fiscal year, Porsche once again demon-
strated its capacity for high growth and its ability to withstand
crisis situations. Automobile markets in many countries suffered
from stagnation or negative growth, but Porsche Group sales
continued to increase.
Systematic global brand management played a decisive role
in this. The fact that Porsche sets the standard for profitability
and successful corporate management in the automobile
industry today is closely related to its outstanding brand image.
The international awards bestowed on the company during the
report year are clear evidence of this situation. For example,
the US magazine Business Week placed Porsche at the top
of its list of the 50 best-managed European companies. The
company’s key success factors, according to Business Week,
are its excellent customer relations and its high quality manage-
ment. In Germany, Porsche gained first place for the third time
in succession in the “Imageprofiles 2004” poll conducted by
Manager Magazin.
For many years now, the company has succeeded in going
its own often unconventional way, developing a brand that is
uniquely individual and desirable. Although Porsche is the
world’s smallest independent automobile manufacturer, in July
2004 it secured a place for the first time in the annual “100
Top Global Brands” ranking by Interbrand, the leading inter-
national brand consultancy firm. At a time when many products
are claiming to be “premium brands”, a brand profile that is
clear, independent, unmistakable and with a rich heritage
represents a significant competitive edge.
Porsche has always understood how to harmonize apparent
opposites; its vehicles are highly emotive, yet at the same time
well suited to the rigors of daily use. The 911 and the Boxster
prove that cars can be enjoyable to drive yet economical to
run. One of the reasons customers choose Porsche is that
they are not prepared to accept compromises in either of
these aspects of car ownership. Equally important, they feel
that Porsche embodies, in an understated way, values such
as exclusivity and success – success that the owners do
not need to justify.
The Porsche 911 imparts this more than any other model.
This classic model celebrated its 40th birthday during the year
under review. To mark the occasion, we not only produced
an exclusive, 40th Anniversary 911 limited-edition model;
we also launched the convertible versions of the Carrera 4S
and 911 Turbo. The latest incarnation of the legendary 911,
introduced in July 2004, is more attractive to the customer
than ever before.
The Boxster, too, is rated supreme in its class. Numerous
awards such as the recent top place in the 2004 J.D. Power
APEAL Study in the USA confirmed this model’s outstanding
level of customer satisfaction and excellent quality. Both
the Boxster and Boxster S were voted “Best Sports Car” for
the third time by Automobile Magazine, the specialist US
publication. And if further proof of their appeal were needed,
the “50th Anniversary Spyder” limited edition sold out in
record time.
The new Boxster generation incorporates styling and engi-
neering enhancements designed to ensure that its undisputed
supremacy in the increasingly competitive roadster segment
is maintained. As with the 911, our objective was to develop
the Boxster carefully into a timeless classic.
The Cayenne has established a strong position in its market
segment in the same way as the 911 and Boxster. During the
year under review an attractively priced V6 entry-level version
was added to the model program. The current success of the
Cayenne – it accounts for about half of all vehicles leaving the
Porsche Group’s production lines – vindicates the strategic
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Sales and Marketing 2003 ⁄ 04
Porsche succeeds in resolving apparent conflicts of objective:
its models have strong emotive appeal and are at the same time suitable
for day-to-day driving.