Porsche 2003 Annual Report Download - page 59

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Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking’s business achievements were also
acknowledged by the Geneva-based Heinz Goldmann Foundation
for International Communication (HGF). The Foundation awarded
him its “Excellence in Leadership” prize for the fifth time in
succession. The HGF surveyed an international jury composed
of 68 CEOs. Amongst other things, it was emphasized that
Porsche is excellently prepared for future challenges.
Impressive Driving Experiences
One vehicle above all others represents Porsche’s future as
well as its past: the 911. It is therefore scarcely surprising that
the press launch for a new generation of this classic Porsche
model represents a major task in terms of communication. The
Münchhausen Castle Hotel in Hameln, near Hanover, provided
a stylish, exceptionally attractive setting for the presentation
of the new 911 to approximately 1,000 journalists from more
than 50 markets in June 2004. The journalists and financial
analysts had the opportunity of testing the new sports car
intensively on selected stretches of road in the surrounding
Weserberg hills. The superb road performance of both the
911 Carrera and its higher performance counterpart, the 911
Carrera S, gave rise to much enthusiastic appreciation and
in due course resulted in headlines such as: “911 in Top Form
revives Sporting Spirit” in “Auto Bild” – just one example of
the positive reaction in the international press.
Journalists needing a deeper, more technically detailed insight
into the engine of the new 911 were invited to a technology
workshop. This offer proved to be highly popular. 200 inter-
national journalists took part in the special workshop at the
Porsche Development Center in Weissach in May 2004.
Even more journalists were tempted to travel north in November
2003, where Porsche demonstrated the Cayenne’s off-road
abilities in Finland’s ice and snow. Both the six-cylinder version
of the SUV, which was being presented to the press for the
first time, and the manual-gearbox version of the Cayenne S
acquitted themselves excellently in off-road conditions
especially selected for their difficulty.
There was yet another unforgettable driving experience for
journalists: in many cases they experienced for the first time
in their lives what it feels like to be driven at 300 kph and
when a sports car accelerates from zero to 200 kph in 9.9
seconds. This opportunity – accompanied by an experienced
racing car engineer or a racing driver such as Walter Röhrl –
was offered to journalists at the Carrera GT press launch in
Gross-Dölln near Berlin. The former airfield provided perfect
conditions in which to experience the outstanding qualities
of the high-performance sports car at first hand.
There was more pure driving enjoyment to be had in October
2004, when the new Boxster was presented to the press at
the Wörthersee lake in Austria. On winding roads, the mid-
engined roadster demonstrated its agility to nearly a thousand
journalists. Even during the event itself, there was already
much comment in the media about the Boxster and its attractive
appearance.
Multiple Awards
Porsche sports vehicles always come out on top when motor
journals ask their readers for their opinions. The readers
of “Road & Track”, the leading American magazine for car
enthusiasts, voted the Porsche Carrera GT the dream car
of the year in 2004. The high-performance sports car from
Stuttgart left its six rivals trailing well behind and can now
rejoice in the title of “Best Dream Car 2004”. This was the
second award from the US motor press for the Carrera GT.
At the end of 2003, the magazine “Popular Science” selected
the car’s advanced technology and chassis construction as
the best technological innovation of 2003. The British magazine
“Top Gear” also put the Carrera GT in first place in the “Super-
cars” class in its April 2004 edition. Previously, the Carrera
GT had been voted “Best sports car” in the annual “Best Cars”
competition participated in by the readers of “auto motor
und sport” magazine. The awards made in association with
this competition are some of the most sought-after in Europe.
But that is not all. There was a double accolade for the Carrera
GT and the 911 GT3 RS from readers of the specialist magazine
“sport auto”. In the rankings for the best-performing sports
car of 2003, the Carrera GT won the category for production
cars costing more than EUR 125,000 and the GT3 RS the
category for cars in the EUR 75,000 to 125,000 bracket.
The new Boxster had its successful
world premiere at the Paris
Motor Show in September 2004.