Porsche 2013 Annual Report Download - page 47

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The Macan is my Porsche because
it presented a huge challenge right from
the outset. But for me the Macan was also
love at first sight. When I saw the very
first design sketches three years ago, I
knew that I wanted to have a hand in this
project and play a role in the overall vehicle
concept for the SUV series.
When putting together a complete vehicle
of a given series, all of a vehicle’s technical
aspects converge. My department coordi-
nates design, aerodynamics, thermodynam-
ics, acoustics, package, endurance testing,
energy management, and vehicle safety.
The interests of each specialty are naturally
not always balanced out. For example, the
ideas of the designers and the requirements
of the aerodynamic engineers could result
in conflicting objectives. That’s when the
overall vehicle project management team’s
coordination skills become all the more im-
portant. The task requires an understanding
of technical and business aspects as well
as intensive cooperation among the many
players involved. We successfully negoti-
ated the interaction of all specialty fields,
and for that reason especially, the Macan
became for me a synthesis of the arts –
a synthesis of many art forms.
Take the special challenge posed by the
wrap-around hood in creating this synthesis
of the arts, for example. The unusually
large hood, which extends out over the
headlights, was not only an exciting job
for the body development engineers, but
also a challenge in terms of vehicle safety,
package, quality and production. The ability
to manufacture the hood’s large interior
and exterior sheet metal panels with the
extremely diverse requirements pertaining
to materials, rigidity, dimensional stability,
linear expansion, and elasticity was espe-
cially demanding for everyone.
The development engineers made smart
use of the space between the interior and
exterior panels as a duct for the fresh air
intake into the engine compartment. I’m
especially proud of this engineering feat.
However, I’d have to say that there were no
alternatives. The engine compartment itself
didn’t have any room for the air intake.
Implementing this idea proved to be more
complex than originally conceived given
that the test drives conducted around the
world had to be passed under various
climatic conditions.
Working on the Macan made me very
proud and happy. For me, the project team
evolved into a real Macan family. All that
teamwork and camaraderie are things that
have left an impression on me to this day.
Dr. Michael Becker
Project Manager Overall Vehicle Concept
MY MACAN // 045