Porsche invests in Australia

Porsche Cars Australia has begun construction on a new ‘state-of-the-art’ national staff training headquarters near Melbourne.

The large 837 square-metre facility based at Essendon Fields – an automotive mecca between Tullamarine airport and the CBD – will be operational in late 2020.

It will train the German sports car brand's service technicians and sales reps on all things Porsche Taycan, a $300,000 electric sports sedan that can hit 100km/h in 2.8 seconds – just 0.1sec more than the brand’s new performance flagship, the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S.

When it arrives in Australia later this year, Porsche’s first EV will be a landmark model for the auto industry and will require a completely different approach to sales and servicing.

Powered by a hefty 94kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the range-topping Porsche Taycan Turbo S will be propelled by a pair of electric motors that generate a combined 560kW of power and a hefty 1050Nm of torque.

With a real-world EV range of around 400km and super-fast charge times, the Taycan represents a massive shift in direction for Porsche. Australia’s EV charging infrastructure will need to be upgraded to take advantage of the vehicle's 800-volt architecture, and this is an area were Porsche sales and service staff will need high levels of knowledge to inform customers.

In our first review of the Porsche Taycan, Mike Sinclair wrote that the EV's battery pack charged from six per cent to 91 per cent "in the time it took us to consume a burger lunch".

That was using an Ionity 800-volt fast-charger with peak charging levels of around 200kW.

Porsche Cars Australia’s new training HQ, located close to Melbourne airport, will have all the latest staff training tech and has been "designed in conjunction with Porsche AG’s own global architectural team," said the press release.

"The new Porsche Training Centre at Essendon Fields will ensure that staff from our Porsche Centres across Australia have access to the best possible training programs,” said Porsche Cars Australia chief, Sam Curtis.

"The opening of this new training facility will coincide with the launch of programs that will prepare our sales staff and service technicians for the arrival of the new Porsche Taycan. This facility will ensure our people are exceptionally well prepared for this exciting milestone."