Listen up, as this could be the sound of the future. Porsche just wrapped up their participation in the 2011 Michelin Challenge Bibendum. Not familiar with the event. No worries, neither were we. Fortunately, Michelin got in touch to introduce us and directed our attention toward a few websites built to help initiate the unfamiliar. There’s the North American Coverage by Michelin as well as the Challenge Bibendum web portal. In a nutshell, Challenge Bibendum (Bibendum is Michelin’s famous mascot, “Bib” for short) promotes sustainable mobility utilizing advanced technology vehichles like the parallel hybrid drive Panamera S Hybrid and the Boxster E.
The Sound of the Future
Was it really only a year ago that we wondered if Porsche would create an all electric sports car? It was only a few months later that Porsche confirmed the existence and development of three all electric Boxsters at Road Atlanta in October of 2010. Since then, Porsche has been actively testing and refining the Boxster E all over the globe.
Porsche Panamera S Hybrid Wins Environment Rally Honors
As part of the Challenge Bibendum event, there are a series of Rally’s and technical tests. Porsche entered both the Panamera S Hybrid and the 911 Carrera into the Inter-city Passenger Cars Rally. This 300km long rally includes safety performance test, energy efficiency and C02 emissions of each participant. Entered in the Internal Combustion Engine Production class of this rally (one of five classes in this portion of the event) Porsche competed against other manufacturers such as Audi, Opel, Ford, Peugeot, Volvo, Toyota, etc. Even with such heavy competition Porsche claimed first and second place with the Panamera S Hybrid and the 911 Carrera, respectively. While other manufacturers scored higher in individual test metrics, Porsches two entries scored the highest average across acceleration, maneuverability, fuel efficiency, C02 emissions and local emissions.
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[Source: Michelin, TechVehi.com]
View Comments (4)
If Porsche was able to go from air cooling to water cooling, then I wouldn't put water cooling to...um...electric past them.
Getting the modulator right is key to preserving the Porsche sound, and the brand identity as a whole, in the future.
I have a great idea for babydolls - put a sound modulator in them so they sound like real babies. Your daughter will adore them! Seriously, the EVs need something to make them sound better than golf carts! My only experience with an EV is the Tesla which is kinda spooky to be around when it's not standing still.
@Peter, I agree with your first comment. On the second, while I think it is important (more along the lines of what Chuck said), I don't think Porsches brand depends on the sound. Rather, it will be interesting to watch how they develop an electric drive and take advantage of the instant/constant torque and almost linear acceleration.
Then again, @PepperGirl, this is the same car company that commissioned a team of 40 engineers just so that they could make the then-new water-cooled engine sound like the old air-cooled one.
There's a certain blessing and curse to having the majority of your customers being repeat buyers (I've heard 70% in the book "Premium Power"). The great thing about it is, repeat buyers are profitable (It's cheaper to market 2 products to 1 buyer than 1 each to 2 customers). The not so great thing about it is, you don't want to do anything that makes them upset with your product. That's why I believe the sound is key, or at least, a very, very important key to maintaining the brand identity.
An interesting idea that Porsche did with a 911 is to make a prototype hybrid model where the gas engine is in the back and the generator is in the front. For what it's worth, it helps weight distribution...