What Drives Porsche?

We delve beyond the surface of the German automaker's design ethos with Michael Mauer, its long-serving chief designer.

- Alvin Wong

HAVING HELMED THE design department of Porsche for over 20 years, Michael Mauer is more than sensitive to what makes customers fall in love with its cars over and over again.

Mauer has had a hand in the development of all the current Porsche models and is responsible for the design of every 911 model since he started work at Porsche in 2004. In this insightful chat with Robb Report Singapore, he shares with us some deep thoughts on constantly elevating and evolving the aesthetic allure of Porsche.

Porsche’s designs are known for their evolutionary rather than revolutionary changes. How do you balance tradition with the need for innovation?

This balance is a very important issue for Porsche and therefore also for us as designers. The rich history and stringent design DNA of the brand are an important part of our brand positioning and identity. As such, we have defined parameters that ensure that a Porsche can always be recognised as part of the Porsche family.

Nevertheless, we want and need to continuously develop our design language. This balance is both an opportunity and a challenge. But it also makes our brand unique and exciting for us as designers.

Which design element is most quintessential to Porsche’s identity?