Porsche Korea showcased a total of 15 vehicles, including the Vision 357, a design study celebrating the 75th anniversary of Porsche sports cars, making its debut as the first in Asia at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show.
On the morning of the 30th, during a press conference themed ‘The Color of Porsche’, Holger Gehrmann, the CEO of Porsche Korea, presented the Vision 357 and shared insights on the company’s successful operations in 2022, as well as the growth roadmap reflecting the value and vision of a modern luxury brand.
Holger Gehrmann emphasized, “We are preparing more proactive investments and an appealing product portfolio for our customers and fans in the Korean market, which has grown to the 6th largest globally. At this Seoul Mobility Show, we aim to inspire many to dream with our brand motto, ‘Driven by Dream’, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Porsche sports cars.”
To directly introduce the Vision 357, Korean designer Jang Woo-sung from Style Porsche co-hosted the press conference, drawing attention, while Frank Moser, newly appointed Vice President of Porsche AG’s 911/718 model line, visited Korea as the first market to participate in this mobility show.
Porsche Korea emphasized its commitment to leading the sports car segment in the domestic market while pursuing sustainable mobility with its ‘Porsche Strategy 2030’ and long-term profit goals termed ‘Road to 20’.
Last year, based on a product strategy involving ‘efficient gasoline’, ‘high-performance hybrid’, and ‘pure electric drive’, Porsche Korea achieved a remarkable sales record, selling 8,963 units, which is a 6.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
In line with Porsche AG’s electrification strategy to increase the share of pure electric vehicle sales to over 80 percent by 2030, Porsche Korea is also focusing on enhancing fast and regular charging infrastructure domestically.
The opening of ‘Porsche Studio Bundang’ to strengthen the electrification portfolio was followed by the recent relocation and expansion of ‘Porsche Service Center Daegu’ and the opening of ‘Porsche Service Center Songpa’. Additionally, ‘Porsche Store Songpa’ and ‘Porsche Center Seongsu’ were added to increase touchpoints with customers in the eastern area of Seoul.
Furthermore, the ‘Porsche Do Dream’ social contribution campaign has been continuously held for six years, yielding meaningful results in various fields such as education, culture, arts, and environment.
This year, to commemorate the ’75th anniversary of Porsche sports cars’, a captivating brand story will be conveyed under the theme ‘Dream in Full Color’.
The main stage of this mobility show is adorned by the Vision 357 concept car, which pays homage to Porsche’s first sports car, the Porsche 356.
Based on the ‘356’ model, the Vision 357 features a monolithic design that highlights the significance of the Porsche brand’s heritage. The body proportions, balancing the past, present, and future, reflect Porsche’s unique design DNA, while the details visualize future design philosophy.
A striking feature is the enhanced light signature that encapsulates a progressive future vision. Additionally, like all current Porsche models, the Vision 357 is equipped with a 4-point light signet at the front, and the round design of the headlight evokes the lighting characteristics of the 356.
The “75” commemorative logo adorns the doors and front of the concept car like a racing car’s entry number. Designed with various details for racing, the Vision 357 is equipped with a naturally aspirated 6-cylinder boxer engine capable of theoretical output up to 500 horsepower and is designed to be compatible with e-fuel.
Porsche Korea plans to welcome visitors with a diverse lineup of 15 models, including the legendary ‘356A Speedster’, the racing car ‘963 LMDh’, ‘Mission R’, ‘911 RSR “Pink Pig”’, ’50th Anniversary Porsche Design Edition 911′, ‘718 Cayman GT4’, ‘Taycan GTS’, and ‘Panamera 4 Platinum Edition’.
Additionally, Porsche Korea is organizing various on-site events. During the mobility show, visitors who follow the Porsche Korea KakaoTalk channel and the official Instagram account and upload a photo with essential hashtags (#Porsche #Happy75thAnniversaryPorsche #drivenbydreams) on their personal Instagram will receive a Porsche 75th Anniversary sticker and a limited quantity Porsche Christophorus magazine after verification.
Moreover, among the participants who posted their personalized Porsche in different colors made in the ‘Dream your Own Porsche’ zone set up in the booth on Instagram, 10 winners will be selected to receive Porsche model cars. The VIP lounge will offer specially crafted coffee and desserts in honor of the 75th anniversary, along with personal color consultations.
On another note, Porsche Korea supports children’s dreams through a special auction. From March 30 to April 10, they will auction a ‘Taycan 4S Cross Turismo for Jenny Ruby Jane’ manufactured through the Porsche Exclusive Manufacture’s Sonderwunsch program.
Visitors will be able to view the actual vehicles at the Porsche booth during this mobility show, with a portion of the auction proceeds being donated to the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation to support children’s dreams. More details can be found on the online auction site Blacklot under Seoul Auction.
On April 4th, a ‘Porsche Design Master Class’ will be held at the pop-up store ‘Porsche Now Seongsu’, targeting media and students from domestic automotive design departments, conducted by designer Jang Woo-sung from Style Porsche. Various programs on the past, present, and future of Porsche design, which has created attractive automotive designs over decades following iconic shapes and functions, will be prepared, including drawing, design talk, and Q&A sessions.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr