Bringing the Porsche brand to life
With this claim, the sports car manufacturer opened the Porsche Experience Center Hockenheimring a year ago. The facility includes a customer experience center, a handling track, driving dynamics surfaces and an off-road course. The sports car manufacturer is now taking stock of the anniversary in a positive light: around 9,000 customers and fans have taken advantage of the facility since its opening – despite several weeks of closure and restrictions due to the Corona pandemic. In total, they have covered some 225,000 kilometers on the routes – 45,000 kilometers of which were driven purely electrically in the Porsche Taycan. More than 480 tire changes took place in the PEC; since September of this year, Michelin has been equipping the sports cars there with premium tires.
Porsche opened its seventh PEC worldwide in the middle of the Hockenheimring race track, which is steeped in tradition, on October 13, 2019. “Particularly in the current climate, Porsche enthusiasts are longing for real experiences and pure driving pleasure,” says Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. “With our Porsche Experience Center, we offer the ideal playground for this. We are delighted that the offer is so well received by our visitors”. In the current situation, the sports car manufacturer is refraining from celebrating its one-year anniversary – to protect visitors and employees.
Dynamic driving offer: On- and off-road
The PEC Hockenheimring includes a 4,500 square meter customer experience center with vehicle exhibitions, meeting and event rooms and a restaurant. Above all, however, it impresses with its diverse range of driving dynamics. On a 2.8-kilometer handling track, customers can experience their own Porsche vehicles as well as the latest models from the PEC fleet alongside experienced instructors. A total of 94 Porsche sports cars from all model series are available, including the all-electric Taycan. Visitors can experience electric mobility not only on the asphalt.
The PEC is equipped with an extensive fast-charging infrastructure, and the Taycan driving programs include detailed instructions on how to charge. Driving training is also available on a variety of dynamic surfaces, such as a skidding plate or circular roadways – the focus here is on driving safety. Customers can test the off-road capability of the Cayenne and Macan SUV models on the off-road course. This covers an area of 5,200 square meters and a total of 17 modules, including a water passage, stone stairs and wooden seesaw. As part of the “Porsche Driving Experience”, German Porsche customers can test an identical sports car on the PEC tracks with their vehicle order and before delivery.
7 exisiting PECs, the eight is in the make
With the Porsche Experience Centers, the sports car manufacturer offers fans and customers worldwide an intensive brand experience. The current seven PECs are located at the Hockenheimring, in Leipzig, Silverstone, Atlanta, Le Mans, Los Angeles and Shanghai. The eighth Porsche Experience Center worldwide is currently being built in the Italian Franciacorta and is scheduled for completion in 2021.
Edited and translated Porsche factory press release.
Pictures courtesy Porsche AG.
