Porsche has confirmed a 150 million euro (£127m) investment in improvements to its Weissach R&D centre as part of its expansion plans under new parent firm Volkswagen.
The investment will go on a new hi-tech wind tunnel adjacent to a new, larger, state-of-the-art design centre to allow the firm to “maintain its top position in the fields of aerodynamics and design and to further extend our lead”.
See the latest pic of the Porsche 918 Spyder
Porsche said the improvements, which also include an innovative electronics centre, are necessary “due to extended tasks”. “Increased capacities are urgently required in the Weissach centre for sports car construction,” said the Porsche statement.
Volkswagen is keen to double recently acquired Porsche’s annual sales to 150,000 units in the medium term, with new models such as a sub-Boxster roadster and an Audi Q5-based Cajun off-roader.
Read more on Porsche's expansion plans
Among the pictures Porsche has released alongside the statement is one of a 1:3 clay scale model of the Porsche 918 Spyder. This model could hint at the design of the final production version of the car, as the front styling has been tweaked and there is just one exhaust visible on the driver’s side.
As part of the expansion, Porsche will also recruit around 100 extra engineers.
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Re: Porsche invests in new tech
Not a large amount of money here, lets hope some of it goes on making the cars look a little more different.
Re: Porsche invests in new tech
As much as I like Porsche, I hope the money is really used to advance their design research. The 911 in various levels of inflation is getting tiring. The Panamera is ugly compared to a Aston Martin Rapide and the Cayenne is one of the ugliest vehicles around, period. A new design philosophy, as exhibited by the 918 Spyder is much needed and future designs also need to be perused and developed. I hope this investment aids that process for Porsche.
Re: Porsche invests in new tech
I think the best way for them to gain from their investment is to figure a way out to replace the future Boxster/Cayman/911 steering racks with the old hydrolic units as used today. J