Porsche rolls out one-millionth Cayenne

When Porsche took the wraps off the Cayenne at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, it left the show-goers, fans and automotive enthusiasts across the world shocked. 

What were they thinking? How can Porsche – known for their pure-bred sportscars like the iconic 911 – think of making an odd-looking SUV like this? What a crazy decision, this! These were just some of the questions and statements hurled at the German car-maker. Guess what? Porsche had the last laugh. 

In just over 18 years, Porsche has rolled out 1 million units of the Cayenne from its assembly line at Leipzig, Germany. The landmark model was a GTS painted in Carmine Red, headed to a German customer. 

In all these years, the Cayenne has gone through three generation changes, defied physics with its incredible handling despite riding high off the ground, made its mark in the tough Transsyberia Rally on more than one occasion, holds a Guinness World Record for towing the gargantuan Airbus A380, blossomed into a handsome brute of an SUV, spawned the trendy Cayenne Coupe and forced brands from Lamborghini to Rolls-Royce to sit up and take notice. That it managed all of these looking right at home in the porch of a 5-star hotel as well as traversing through slush and snow makes the Cayenne Porsche's ultimate all-rounder.

Debuting at a time when the SUV boom was still in its infancy, the Cayenne was well-placed to capitalize as demand for high-riding vehicles like these soared across segments and price bands. As a result, Porsche's luxury SUV bet saved the brand from folding up and sowed the seeds for the success and reputation it enjoys today.

With the Macan mimicking the same success formula in a smaller package, Porsche now has two best-sellers in its range bringing in all the money needed to develop their sports cars and more. So, the next time you see the brilliant new 911 out on the road, thank the Cayenne! 

Just so you know, the 911 took 54 years to achieve the same feat.

Who says minivans aren't cool? Look at the Porsche Vision Renndienst!

As part of activities surrounding the release of a new book called “Porsche Unseen”, the German car-maker has opened the virtual doors of its design studio at Weissach for a sneak peek into a handful of design studies the team created between 2005 and 2019. Of course, being experimental prototypes intended to test the creative limits of the design team while also helping to develop a long-term vision for the brand, these never made it outside the studio. Until now, that is.

While a race car-derived street sports car and a spartan roadster for the purists amongst others were studied as one would imagine from Porsche, what piqued my interest was a minivan. You read that right. But wait, don’t curse me. A 6-seat minivan from Porsche is real! 2020 is odd, indeed.

While you let that sink in, the Vision "Renndienst” - as Porsche calls it - is their design team’s interpretation of what a futuristic family van from the brand could look like. The result? An amazingly cool minivan that’s instantly desirable.

First up, the proportions are spot-on with all four wheels pushed off to the corners. The wheels themselves are massive housed inside muscular wheel arches that are flared just enough. The current design DNA of the brand is visible all through - from the quad-lights up front to the light bar running the width of the rear. Reducing the visual bulk of a minivan is quite a task and the team at Porsche has done that rather well using black inserts all around and a swanky greenhouse. Shown alongside an old Volkswagen T1, the differences in design and execution is understandably stark.

Inside, the Vision Renndienst is said to be equally funky with a central driver’s seat flanked by two passenger seats on either side placed slightly behind in a triangular layout. Apparently, there are seats to accommodate three more passengers behind. Keeping with the ‘futuristic’ theme, the Vision Renndienst is envisioned as a zero-emission full-electric vehicle with autonomous capabilities to boot. No further details have been shared.

How cool would it be to have one parked in your garage? Sadly, 1:1 isn’t going to be possible. Your best bet would be to wait for one of the many die-cast manufacturers to come out with a 1:18 or a 1:43 scale model and bring one of those little ones home.

Porsche builds one-millionth 911 at Zuffenhausen

Manufacturing and selling a million units of the same nameplate is quite a feat. The iconic Porsche 911 achieved the milestone recently, 54 years after its debut.

Over five decades and seven generations of its existence, the 911 has been the flag-bearer of “Brand Porsche” globally. Apart from being the gold standard in driving dynamics against which rivals are measured, the 911 consistently tops quality and reliability studies across countries and continents. Porsche proudly claims over 70 percent of all 911s produced are still in running condition and we aren’t surprised. Most importantly, the 911 plays a key role in consolidating Porsche’s status as one of the most, if not 'the' most, profitable car makers around. Unconfirmed reports claim every new 911 that’s delivered to a customer fetches Porsche a profit to the tune of 20%.

It’s no wonder then the 911 has become the centerpiece around which the brand has been built. For all that the 911 has done, the designers at Porsche has come up with a good gesture in return. Every model in the brand’s lineup, be it the Boxster, the Panamera or the Cayenne, carries a piece of 911’s design philosophy.

Speaking of which, the 911’s design is as iconic as the car itself and quite unlike anything else in the automotive industry. Ever since it debuted as the 901 at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show before being renamed the 911 when it went on sale in 1964, the timeless shape has remained the same, only getting better and better with every successive generation. The flat hood flanked by free-floating fenders, the legendary fastback profile, the shape of the windows and the rear-engine layout are all an ode to the 1963 classic. Its amazing what Ferdinand Alexander Porsche penned more than 50 years ago is still relevant and, crucially, likable.

Porsche is a well-known name in motorsport with over 30,000 victories in various forms of racing. Over half of those race wins are courtesy the 911, a stat that speaks volumes about the car's ability to tame the track. Road or track, one thing is for sure - the 911 makes you grin ear to ear and that's what is important!  

For a car with such credentials, one million units, all of which have been produced at Zuffenhausen, an urban district in Stuttgart, Germany, couldn't come soon enough.

Here's how the million units are split between the seven generations of 911 that have graced the roads:

• 1st Gen - The original 911 (1963-1972): 81,100
• 2nd Gen - G-Series (1973-1989): 198,414
• 3rd Gen - 964 Series (1988-1992): 74,008
• 4th Gen - 993 Series (1993-1998): 67,535
• 5th Gen - 996 Series (1997-2005): 179,163
• 6th Gen - 997 Series (2004-2011): 215,092
• 7th Gen - 991 Series (2011-Present): 152,659

The one-millionth 911 sports an 'Irish Green' paint job, the same colour that the company founder had his car from the first series painted. Badges with the text '911 Nr. 1,000,000' are stuck on to the B-pillars while the Porsche and 911 badges at the rear are gold in colour. Inside the cabin, the instrument cluster, that's back-lit in a shimmering green, feature the numbering 1,000,000 while the seats get an historic chequered pattern. The steering wheel hub gets a 1964 Porsche crest on the hub while the mahogany rim is reminiscent of the wooden steering wheels that adorned one too many sports cars in the 1960s.

Based on the 911 Carrera S with a power-boosted 450 horsepower engine mated to a 7-speed manual transmission, this one-off piece would embark on a World Tour before going on to embellish the 'Porsche Museum' collection. If you happen to be somewhere around the Scottish Highlands, the Nürburgring or parts of China or the United States, watch out for this green piece of history!

Jaguar F-Pace is 2017 World Car of the Year

One of the key events at the New York International Auto Show every year is the hand-out of the World Car Awards. The only one of it's kind in the industry, the World Car Awards brings together a jury panel comprising the best of automotive journalists and experts from diverse geographic locations. Naturally, these awards command a lot of respect and are amongst the most-coveted in the automotive industry.

Launched in 2004 and handed out since 2005, the World Car Awards aims to reward and recognize the best in the industry on a global scale and is not confined to a publication, country or continent. 

The 2017 titles and the award-winners were announced last week. 

2017 World Car of the Year

From an initial list of 23 vehicles from all over the world, ten were shortlisted before three finalists were announced at Geneva earlier this year. The top three were the Audi Q5, the Jaguar F-Pace and the Volkswagen Tiguan. With sales of SUVs and crossovers soaring around the world, the three finalists sort of vindicate the shift that's taking place in the industry. 75 journalists from 23 countries around the world evaluated each of the contenders and it was the Jaguar that came out on top. 

Ever since it debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, the F-Pace, the first-ever SUV from the British luxury brand, has been winning friends and fans worldwide and the World Car of the Year title is yet another feather in it's cap. It is well-styled, is lavishly appointed, gets some clever features and need not be restricted on the road with the standard All Wheel Drive system and Adaptive Surface Response technology, virtues that seem to have impressed the jurors.

2017 World Car of the Year - Jaguar F-Pace

Previous Winners:

• 2016 – Mazda MX-5
• 2015 – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• 2014 – Audi A3
• 2013 – Volkswagen Golf
• 2012 – Volkswagen Up!

2017 World Luxury Car 

To honour higher-priced, limited-selling, premium cars worldwide, the World Luxury Car title was carved out as a separate award in 2014. Mercedes-Benz walked away with it twice since then while the BMW 7-Series won the accolade last year. 

Mercedes-Benz returned to winning ways in 2017, with it's bread-and-butter E-Class claiming the top spot from an initial entry list of nine luxury cars from all over the world. The new E-Class has been receiving rave reviews and is expected to consolidate Mercedes-Benz's dominance in executive sedans. Another aspect that would make this victory sweeter for the folks at Stuttgart is the presence of arch-rival BMW's 5-Series as one of the finalists. Volvo's S90/V90 was the other finalist in fray for the title.

2017 World Luxury Car - Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Previous Winners:

• 2016 – BMW 7-Series
• 2015 – Mercedes-Benz S Coupe
• 2014 – Mercedes-Benz S-Class

2017 World Performance Car

The Porsche 718 twins, the Cayman and the Boxster, emerged victorious in the World Performance Car shoot-out. 

To be eligible for this award, a vehicle must exhibit specific and overt sports/performance orientation, should be available for sale in atleast two continents and have an annual production run exceeding 500 vehicles. From an initial list of seven cars that met the criteria, three finalists - Audi R8 Spyder, McLaren 570S and Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster, were announced. In the end, it was Porsche that won the hearts of the jurors. Remarkably, this is Porsche's fifth World Performance Car title with the German brand already being a recipient of the award in 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

2017 World Performance Car - Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster

Previous Winners:

• 2016 – Audi R8
• 2015 – Mercedes-AMG GT
• 2014 – Porsche 911 GT3
• 2013 – Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• 2012 – Porsche 911

2017 World Green Car

For the second straight year, Toyota walked away with the honours in this crucial 'green car' category. This time, it was the Prius Prime that tasted success. Crucially, the Toyota had to contend with the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model X, mighty contenders any which way you look at them. These three cars were the chosen finalists from an initial entry list of 12 vehicles that met the eligibility criteria.

2017 World Green Car - Toyota Prius Prime

Previous Winners:

• 2016 – Toyota Mirai
• 2015 – BMW i8
• 2014 – BMW i3
• 2013 – Tesla Model S
• 2012 – Mercedes-Benz S250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

2017 World Urban Car

A new title introduced for this year, the World Urban Car aims to identify and crown the best car to tackle the urban jungle that's getting crowded with each passing year. 

Commenting on the new title, World Car vice‐chairman, Mike Rutherford, commented, "It's an award whose time has come. Everyday cars in many ‐ perhaps most ‐ parts of the world will have to become smaller if road and parking space is to be found for them in increasingly packed towns and cities whose populations are swelling annually. This year's winner in our inaugural World Urban Car category proves that these small vehicles don't have to be cheap, undesirable and unpleasant to drive. Quite the opposite. It is among the best value‐for‐money products on the market".

And the car that was found worthy of all that praise is BMW's brilliant i3 (94 Ah). From an initial list of seven contenders, three finalists including the Citroen C3 and the Suzuki Ignis were chosen before deciding on the winner.

2017 World Urban Car - BMW i3 (94 Ah)

2017 World Car Design of the Year

With a set of eligibility criteria that's like no other, the World Car Design of the Year aims to recognize vehicles that pushes the established boundaries in their design and styling. A 6-member design panel were first asked to review the candidates and establish a short-list of recommendation for the jurors. 

In the end, out of the three finalists that included the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet and the Toyota C-HR, the Jaguar F-Pace walked away with the title, it's second of the year. With bold and sexy styling that looked every bit a Jaguar, we commented that the F-Pace was amongst the most beautiful crossovers/SUVs we have seen and it seems the design experts and jurors had similar opinion. With the F-Type already winning the title in 2013, F-Pace's victory is the second time a Jaguar is crowned the World Car Design of the Year.

2017 World Car Design of the Year - Jaguar F-Pace

Previous Winners:

• 2016 – Mazda MX-5
• 2015 – Citroen C4 Cactus
• 2014 – BMW i3
• 2013 – Jaguar F-Type
• 2012 – Land Rover Range Rover Evoque