Porsche 2007 Annual Report Download - page 68

in the year under review proved to be the ongoing
expansion of shop-in-shop systems at Porsche
Centers throughout the world.
In addition to designing its own products, the
Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See continued its
activities in the field of industrial design for other
companies. One design commission in particular
for the champagne manufacturer Veuve Cliquot
received extensive media coverage: The exclusive
champagne refrigerator is distinctive on account
of its monolithic, column-like shape, and limited
to 15 models worldwide. Many products with the
Porsche Design brand have received awards at
prestigious design competitions such as the
“iF Product Design Award”, the “Red Dot Design
Award” and the “Good Design Award”.
Financial services in demand
The financial services offered by Porsche include
leasing, hire purchase, financing and vehicle in-
surance. The Porsche Card is also an attractive
credit card service. This portfolio of services
allows the Company to meet the diverse needs
of customers. For example, leasing agreements
with customized payments and a variable term
can be concluded.
Porsche Financial Services GmbH has its own sub-
sidiaries in all important markets. With another
34,000 new contracts, the various subsidiaries
managed more than 76,000 financial services
agreements throughout the world in fiscal 2007/08.
In addition to this, around 12,000 customers took
advantage of Porsche’s credit card service. As
owners of the Porsche Card or the Porsche Card S,
which comes with an extended range of services,
customers can take advantage of a multitude of
services and personal benefits tailored specifically
to the interests and needs of Porsche drivers.
Personalized insurance protection is offered by
Financial Services as part of Porsche Insurance
Services with the Porsche CarPolicy and the Por-
sche CarPolicy S. Both services allow customers
to cover risks based on the value of their vehicle.
This applies equally to third-party liability, fully com-
prehensive and third party, fire and theft insurance.
Porsche Insurance Services has for many years
been working successfully with HDI-Gerling Firmen-
und Privatversicherung AG, and enjoys the valued
trust of around 27,000 satisfied Porsche drivers.
Development for customers
When Ferdinand Porsche established his design
office in Stuttgart in 1931, his aim was to find
forward-looking solutions. This aim has been pur-
sued by Porsche Engineering ever since. Its range
of services covers everything from the design of
individual components to the planning and imple-
mentation of complete vehicle development. In
their search for innovative solutions, customers
from the automotive and supplier industries rely
on the broad competence of Porsche Engineering,
and its ability to apply existing know-how to new
jobs and fields. This has helped maintain Porsche’s
focus on customer development. It goes without
saying that Porsche Engineering handles the pro-
duct strategies and brand identities of its custo-
mers with the greatest possible care by maintaining
strict confidentiality with regard to each project.
In the previous fiscal year, the Company was able
to realize complete vehicle development projects
in cooperation with clients. The “Vehicle Concepts”
specialist department was set up in response to
high demand. Porsche Engineering also secured
itself a competitive advantage by continuing to
invest in new workshop facilities and infrastructure
and simultaneously having recourse to the Porsche
Development Center in Weissach. The Company
was also able to attract experienced specialists in
the year under review, whose knowledge increased
Porsche’s edge over the competition. In the final
analysis, Porsche was not only able to achieve its
ambitious goals in the year under review, but in
some cases it even surpassed them. The high
demand for development services has so far con-
tinued unabated in fiscal 2008/09. Fast develop-
ment times were at the top of customers’ “wish
lists”, alongside technical innovation. Development
work focused on the field of alternative drive
systems.
Cooperation with the Technical University in Prague
continues to be a success, focusing primarily on
the fields of technical computation and simulation.
Three graduates of the university received the pre-
stigious “Porsche Engineering Award” in the year
under review. The winner was given a research
placement with Porsche Engineering.
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