A “token of the affiliation” with Porsche’s Leipzig home was presented to the city’s fire department.
The 500,000th vehicle rolled off the production line at the Porsche plant in Saxony. The anniversary SUV was a red and white Cayenne with a V8 engine and was converted into a command vehicle for the Leipzig fire brigade with the assistance of Porsche’s apprentices.
Earlier this year, Porsche marked the tenth anniversary of what was at the time a controversial expansion into the truck market. However, after the Porsche factory opened in Leipzig during 2002 to build the Cayenne SUV it proved to be a successful investment that has since grown to produce another controversial – but just as profitable vehicle – the Panamera sedan.
In the ceremony today, Matthias Müller, the President and CEO Porsche AG, handed over the truck keys to the Lord Mayor of the City as a token of the affiliation with Porsche’s Leipzig home.
“Half a million vehicles in only ten years is a remarkable result for a luxury car manufacturer like Porsche. Behind the success is a strong workforce now numbering 1,005 employees at our production facility in Saxony. I am impressed by the high degree of technical expertise of our Leipzig colleagues. They send forth into the world the seal of quality ‘Made in Germany’ and with it a piece of Leipzig,” said Müller in his speech to the guests.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
