Porsche Founds Digitization Competence Center
May 31, 2016
New subsidiary with headquarters in Ludwigsburg and affiliates in Silicon Valley and China
Atlanta, Georgia. Porsche is moving into the fast lane on the topic of digitization. The Supervisory Board of the company has now approved the founding of Porsche Digital GmbH. The objective of the new enterprise is to further develop Porsche as the leading provider of digital mobility solutions in the premium automotive segment. Thilo Koslowski will be the managing director of Porsche Digital GmbH. He recently joined Porsche from the United States IT consulting company Gartner Inc. Koslowski is considered an expert in the automotive, internet and technology sectors. The newly founded company will be headquartered in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. Further affiliated offices will be in Berlin, Silicon Valley, and China. The Silicon Valley operation will be a subsidiary of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
“Our business environment is changing ever more dynamically,” said Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Supervisory Board chairman of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. “Porsche Digital GmbH will strengthen the brand, develop innovative customer experiences, and attract new partners. We are combining the traditional Porsche spirit with the power of new technologies.”
For Porsche CEO Oliver Blume the new subsidiary “is a logical step in order for Porsche to successfully position itself for the digital future.” Blume adds that for Porsche digitization has three dimensions: product, customer, and companies.
Access to innovative and high-growth partners
“Porsche Digital GmbH is our Competence Center where visions are turned into reality,” says Blume. There, digital customer experiences, products, business areas, and business processes will be identified and further developed. The Porsche subsidiary will cooperate closely with all departments in testing and implementing new value creation models and innovative product offerings. Among the tasks of Porsche Digital GmbH will be the identification and evaluation of trends which ensure access to relevant technologies.
Porsche not only believes in its own potential for innovation, but also its partnerships. Porsche Digital GmbH considers itself to be an interface between Porsche and innovators around the world. This applies in particular to the areas of connectivity, smart mobility, and autonomous vehicles. As part of Porsche’s digital transformation, the new subsidiary will promote long-term partnerships with suitable partners and in this way create a digital ecosystem. There are also plans for equity holdings in venture capital funds and start-ups which offer opportunities for close collaboration with innovative, high-growth companies, talents, and new technologies.
“Digitization is leading to the renaissance of the automobile and is making it the central element of our digital lifestyle,” says the subsidiary’s new managing director Thilo Koslowski. “We will create digital customer experiences typical of Porsche which are fascinating and intelligent – both inside and outside the vehicle.”
Innovation offensive at Porsche
The foundation of the subsidiary is part of a major innovation offensive at Porsche. A concerted effort is being made at the company to establish innovation management across departments as well as systematically cataloging and promoting ideas. “Innovation does not emerge by itself. It is all about developing ideas systematically,” says Porsche CEO Blume. “Porsche has many ideas. The challenge is to think across functional divisions, use external resources, and take concrete action very rapidly – especially in the digital environment,” added Blume.
About Porsche Cars North America Inc. | One Porsche Drive, Atlanta, GA 30354 USA
Established in 1984, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche 918 Spyder, 911, Boxster and Cayman sports cars, the Macan and Cayenne SUVs, and Panamera sports sedans. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia since 1998, PCNA is also home to the first Porsche Experience Center in North America featuring a module-based 1.6 mile driver development track, business center, human performance center, and fine dining restaurant. PCNA employs approximately 300 people who provide parts, service, marketing, and training for 188 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 65-plus year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency. PCNA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000-plus motorsport wins to date.
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For Porsche apps: http://www.porsche.com/usa/entertainment/apps/
Note: Photos and video footage are available to accredited journalists on the Porsche Press Database at http://press.porsche.com/
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