Porsche's 60th Anniversary
It's a generic name for sports cars, but Porsche's future will also encompass sedans, SUVs -- and VolkswagenPorsche celebrates 60 years of manufacturing in 2008. The German sports car manufacturer grew out of Ferry Porsche's disdain for suitable sports cars that were current in the immediate post-war term.
"It all started when I began looking around and just could not find my dream car. So I decided to build it myself," said Porsche.
The first design to wear his name was the Volkswagen-based 356 and the very first example of that car was approved for road registration on June 8, 1948. Those early cars established a dynamically sporting reputation in markets such as the US, but it was -- and is -- the 911 model which cemented the company's reputation around the world.
Wendelin Wiedeking assumed responsibility for the running of the company in 1992, a period of crisis for the Stuttgart manufacturer. Wiedeking made wide-ranging changes to the way the company conducted its day-to-day operations (including infamously calling in Japanese consultants to reinvigorate the company's quality control program). The Boxster was the first product range to be launched under his tenure and was an immediate success.
Since then, the company has rapidly returned to profit and has continued to surprise industry pundits with an unexpected series of twists and turns: investing in Volkswagen from September 2005, launching the Cayenne SUV and developing the imminent Panamera sedan.
Despite what appears to be an unconventional business strategy, Porsche remains a company with a sound reputation for management and build quality.
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