Why the Porsche 911 is Special

My 1971 911T targa

Legend, myth, icon – for generations, the car that has left the Zuffenhausen plant bearing the moniker of the 911 is a success story that carries many names. But what has made it such a special automobile since 1964? Why do its devotees speak of it in almost hallowed terms?

It was 1992 when I saw a Porsche 911 at my front door for the first time. It looked incredible. Dark grey, gleaming in the sun, and with those large rims and the brake discs clicking quietly underneath. I almost touched the fan grill of the engine cover with my nose as the 911 burned into me. My shin felt the force of the exhaust pipe. But my head also felt this car – and my heart. I felt it deep in my heart.

The Porsche 911 is an incredibly intense experience

There are countless stories like mine that connect people with the Porsche 911. Because there is not just one story that describes this car. Rather, everyone has their own personal connection to it: Some were captivated by it from childhood, when they gazed upon a 911 for the first time. Others had never even seen it – only heard about it. And anyone who sat in the driver's seat could not fail to fall in love with the car. But why?

Probably because the Porsche 911 is an incredibly intense experience. It is a dynamic car, but not without compromise; it is suitable for everyday driving. It is wonderfully small and compact, but it also has space for the kids. It is not exotic and certainly no prima donna; instead, it is almost discreet and unassuming.

Interplay of steering, shifting, acceleration, braking and sound

And because it has embodied all of these traits since 1964, every 911 seems immediately familiar. It starts with the arrangement of the seats, steering wheel and the other important control elements. Everything feels solid and secure in your hand. It is all about taking aim and hitting the targets. It is intuitive, like being blindfolded. There are no distractions; you can concentrate fully on driving and on the wonderful feeling of the 911.

The multitude of fine details are crafted with a precision that allows them to come together and create a piece of utterly flawless design. It is this interplay of steering, shifting, acceleration, braking and sound that never loses focus and concentration – the factory in Zuffenhausen seems to employ a philharmonic orchestra rather than engineers. That’s because their interpretations are not just unique; by making small changes, they can also completely transform a model.

Being one with the car – that is the 911 feeling

But whichever one you choose–whether a perfect, high-speed new model or a characteristic older version–there is one thing that never changes: You are the conductor. You have an immediate connection with the 911. You are a part of the experience. And it is precisely this feeling of being one with the car that makes it so special. For me, that is the 911 feeling.

Mercedes Outsells BMW in 2016!

By Edward Taylor and Ilona Wissenbach

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz sales overtook BMW last year for the first time in more than a decade, a feat achieved, ironically, only after parent company Daimler stopped chasing market share and focused on making stylish high-tech cars.

On Monday, Bavaria-based BMW said it sold 2,003,359 cars in 2016, less than the 2,083,888 by Stuttgart-based Mercedes. BMW had outsold Mercedes every year since 2005.

The achievement is a coup for Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, who struggled to revive the company following a messy divorce from mass-market brand Chrysler in 2007. Less than four years ago, Zetsche faced restive shareholders, worried Daimler was lagging BMW and Volkswagen's Audi brand.

"We had some deficits, cost and quality problems. Design was not top-notch. And with Chrysler we were no longer a pure premium carmaker," Zetsche told Reuters in an interview late in 2016 in his office at Daimler's headquarters.

Zetsche has presided over a renaissance in the design and technology of Mercedes vehicles, refocused the company on technological excellence and autonomous driving instead of short-term sales goals, and adapted the entrepreneurial mindset of Silicon Valley to the traditionally risk averse culture of Stuttgart.

Daimler is also preparing for a new era when the auto industry's business model moves beyond manufacturing and selling cars to luring customers interested in pay-per-minute transport solutions provided by self-driving cars.

At the company's 125th anniversary in 2011 - a year when Audi sales overtook those of Mercedes, pushing it into third place - Zetsche forecast his improvements would make Mercedes the best-selling luxury carmaker by 2020.

"Since then we worked hard and today we are leading or among the leaders when it comes to innovation, quality, design and security," Zetsche said.

Daimler traditionalists were shocked by the volume forecast, fearing that selling too many vehicles could dilute the exclusivity of their cars and reduce the appeal of the Mercedes brand in the long run.

But consumer electronics companies such as Apple had already proven the pull of their brands did not suffer with increased sales volumes.

Daniel Binns a managing director at branding agency Interbrand, said advances in technology have made a product's scarcity less of a selling point.

"I've got it and you haven't, is what used to make premium. Now it is much more about having a better quality experience. So much of what defines an experience to the current generation is about what the technology delivers. The autonomous vehicle is the pinnacle of that," he said.

The overhaul of Mercedes began in earnest in May 2013 with the launch of a new flagship S-class. To burnish its credentials as a technology leader, Mercedes developed a prototype version which drove around 100 kilometres (62 miles) autonomously the same year.

Rather than designing a limousine which appealed mainly to rear seat passengers, the new S-Class featured large digital display screens on the dashboard, a deliberate attempt to appeal to a younger, driver-focused audience.

The same youthful design approach was used for the new C-Class and E-class designs, which are now the company's big sellers.

To counter the threat from Audi, Zetsche appointed a young designer, Gorden Wagener, to head up Mercedes design. He introduced an elegant and sporty style to spruce up Stuttgart's Teutonic limousines. Mercedes cars were also equipped with state-of-the-art digital display technology, luring smartphone savvy customers.

It was a change for Mercedes where engineers always believed they were producing the best cars in the world, but measured quality mainly using technical or engineering criteria, a strategy which often led to powerful cars with expensive and complex technical innovations.

Today, Mercedes-Benz follows its motto "the best or nothing" by thinking about whether customers would notice or benefit from a new technological innovation, and by benchmarking the brand against competitors, Zetsche said.

Mercedes also revived the Maybach brand, a marque targeting the ultra-luxury sector which the company had stopped making after the prior bespoke design failed to gain traction, leading the car to sell only 200 times in its final year of production.

Since Maybach's latest revival in February 2015, Daimler has sold 15,000 cars.

"The rewards we are reaping today are the logical consequence of careful preparation," Zetsche said.

(Editing by Georgina Prodhan, Alexandra Hudson and Mark Potter)

The American Automobile Industry: The Most Enduring Obama Legacy and the 2009 Bailout

Currently, the Obama legacy is being assessed by pundits from both the right and the left.  Whatever the case in terms of race relations, the economy, and the Mideast including Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, one thing cannot be denied. Under his leadership, the collapse of the American Automobile Industry was averted.  Had Mitt Romney been in charge, bankruptcy and all the uncertainty associated with it would have transpired. Bankruptcy lawyers would have gotten rich, workers would have been thrown out of work. And those advocates of the free market would have been assuaged.  Perhaps the most important of all manufacturing  sectors was given a second chance.  And so at a critical time the federal government did what it does best -- protect the interests of all Americans, including workers.  Here is an historical account of what happened, taken from an upcoming 2nd edition of my The Automobile and  American Life book.

The Great Recession, the G.M. and Chrysler Bankruptcies of 2007-2009, and Recovery

            The Great Recession, with its foreclosures, personal bankruptcies, lost jobs, and closed automobile assembly factories, started with a slowing of auto sales after a banner year in 2005, during which almost 17.5 cars and light trucks were sold (see table). Afterwards, a foreboding trend reappeared, one that the American industry had experienced during the late 1950s, and the late 1970s and early 1980s -- the remarkable rise in the sale of “pure” imports.  These vehicles were not cars made at the transplants, and they increased significantly from 19.7 percent in 2005 to 26.1 percent in 2008.72 Concurrently, credit tightened. Since some 90% of all automobile purchases were made with loans – that development also contributed to a marked decline in U.S. production.72  $4.00 per gallon gasoline prices also caused a drop in consumer confidence. It turned out to be a perfect economic storm directed at a fragile industry. In 2007, prior to the steep downturn, union pension and healthcare costs as well as post-employment benefits were addressed with the formation of a voluntary trust employee benefits association that also provided for a lower entry wage of $14.20 per hour for up to 20% of the UAW workforce. But it was too little a cost-saving measure, too late.

By the end of 2008 the Detroit Three were running out of cash and G.M. and Chrysler faced imminent bankruptcy. The outgoing Bush administration, led by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, responded with a Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loan. A stopgap, it kept the threatened firms alive, and acted as an important bridge between the outgoing Bush and incoming Obama administrations. In the meantime, massive job losses followed. Automobile assembly plants employment dropped from 185,800 to 123,400 and in parts plants from 607,710 to 413, 500. By 2009 only 10.6 million American-made units were sold, and recovery to 2005 levels did not occur until 2015.

After President Obama took office, a taskforce at the Department of Treasury was created with bankers Steven Rattner and Ron Bloom emerging as its leaders. Congress proved as ineffectual as auto industry leaders in reaching a compromise agreement. Conservatives wanted the industry – and especially organized labor – to pay a price for a government bailout, while liberal legislators favored a more lenient approach given the huge economic and social ramifications if the industry were to fail. In the end, both G.M. and Chrysler went through managed bankruptcies. G.M. was forced into bankruptcy with a 61% taxpayer ownership. G.M. also had a new chairman and four new board members who were appointed by the federal government. To allay consumer fears, the government backed warranties and President Obama created the Cash–for-Clunkers program to stimulate demand. Ed Whitacre, formerly at AT&T, was persuaded to come out of retirement to head G.M., followed 9 months later by Dan Akerson, formerly CEO at Nextel and then the Carlyle Group.  Ford, securing a credit line during the first half of 2008, avoided government intervention in their business operations, and since 2011 has recovered nicely with annual profits ranging between $6.2 and $8.3 billion. Chrysler recovered but now is under the control of the Italian car company, Fiat. 

G.M. has endured several crises since 2009, including one involving a faulty ignition switch.  It thrives, in part because of its operations in China, where its Buicks are preferred as desirable vehicles, along with Audis and Porsches.  Geographically, the post-Great Recession U.S. industry now has two areas of concentration within the I-65 and I-75 corridor.  Above US 30, cutting east to west between Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the auto assembly scene is dominated by the Detroit Three and suppliers; below it are the transplants with their headquarters in Japan, Korea, and Germany.

From the perspective of organized labor, the UAW is no longer what it once was, neither in the sense of its power during the 1950s or its obvious weaknesses after the mid-1970s.  In 2015 industry analysts Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Dan Brooks, and Martin Mulloy concluded, “The UAW transitioned from a union that primarily threatens to withhold labor to one that primarily enables work. Union brings expertise to discussions of quality, safety, productive and preventative maintenance, workforce development, and team based operations.”73 In sum, the UAW has experienced a new role and resurgence by finding purpose in a new business environment.

Conference Europeene de l'Histoire de l'Automobile Announcement 2017

Driving on Ice: Advice from Walter Rohrl

Text first published in the Porsche customer magazine Christophorus, No. 379

Text: Wolfgang Schäffer // Photos: Stefan Bogner & Anatol Kotte

Walter Röhrl’s answer is short and sweet. “Like always,” he says when asked about the best way to drive on snow- covered surfaces. The hint of a smile, however, suggests that his response applies only to people who share his level of skill. When Röhrl (69) says it makes no difference whether he’s driving on dry asphalt, dusty dirt roads, or icy streets, you believe him immediately. He intuitively knows the best way to handle a car.

But what skills do we really need in order to not lose our grip—or face—on slippery surfaces? For those of us who aren’t world-champion rally drivers, Röhrl has a few tips on how to handle cars safely in winter wonderlands of snow and ice. “Be even more attuned to the car than usual, and concentrate completely on what you’re doing,” he says. All of your senses have to be focused on what the car is telling you. But that alone is not enough. “Winter conditions reduce the amount of friction on the road, which means a dramatic drop in grip. So you have to slow down. Otherwise, you’ll have problems when you brake or hit the next curve.” Even though all-wheel-drive systems like that in the Macan offer a lot of advantages when accelerating on slippery surfaces, the reverse—that is, when decelerating—does not apply. “We shouldn’t forget that mass generally keeps moving straight ahead. And it doesn’t matter whether the engine transfers its power to one or both axles. That doesn’t affect the braking power.”

Walter Röhrl's advice: “Keep steering maneuvers to a minimum”

But in general, Röhrl sees all-wheel drive as a major benefit and a plus for safety. “If the engine power is distributed across all four wheels, the car can hold its course better when accelerating,” he notes. In other words, dividing the power among four tires reduces the tendency of individual tires to lose their grip as the car speeds up, which could cause it to swerve. “But just because cars like the Macan can master these situations doesn’t mean you should try to show off,” he adds. A virtuoso at the wheel himself, Röhrl urgently warns drivers about a grave error that can also be seen at rallies: entering curves too fast will get you nowhere. “It’s not a good idea to take momentum into a curve on slick roads, not even with all-wheel drive,” he says. “But good traction will allow you to step on the gas sooner and accelerate out of the curve. After all, there’s no shortage of power.”

Röhrl, a native of the German city of Regensburg who is also a passionate skier and cyclist, has a very general piece of advice for such situations: “Keep steering maneuvers to a minimum. And don’t tense up.” All steering actions beyond what is absolutely necessary come at a cost in terms of time and safety—except for  strong movements at the wheel that make driver-assistance systems kick in sooner. “That all just creates anxiety,” he says. Röhrl, an admitted perfectionist and advocate of minimalist driving styles, raises his hands in front of his chest and turns an imaginary steering wheel to the left and right with two fingers and a thumb on each side. We might say he’s sitting at the wheel even when he’s just talking about it. The Macan’s cutting-edge driver assistance systems ensure safety

If you enter a curve too fast, it’s nearly impossible to control the car—especially on roads covered with snow or ice. “When I say slow down, it’s not because I’m an old man,” he says. The Macan’s cutting-edge driver assistance systems may offer more safety than ever before, but they’re powerless in the face of one thing: a curve that is entered too quickly. “People aren’t immune to the laws of physics,” he says, “and neither are cars.”

But what should you do if, despite ample caution, you find yourself approaching a curve too fast? The first thing to do, of course, is to decelerate as much as possible by hitting the brakes hard, so that the anti-lock system sets in as quickly and efficiently as possible and reduces the speed. If need be, you also want the anti-lock system to work in the curve, even if that means having to turn in more sharply.

Winter tires are a must for everyone

Given his experience as a professional rally driver, Röhrl naturally has an alternative approach, although it requires strong nerves on snow-covered roads, not to mention extensive training. “If there’s no other recourse, then lift your foot from the brake right before the curve and turn in—but not too much—and be very attuned to the car. Wait for the car to catch up, reducing the angle if need be to prevent oversteering, and that might enable you to keep the car on the road.” Regardless of skill level, one requirement applies to everyone: winter tires are a must. “Steering and driving maneuvers work only if the tires have enough grip on the road. So you absolutely have to have the right tread and rubber blend for cold temperatures.” Regardless of whether a car has front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive, it needs winter tires to transfer its power to the road and to brake in the most effective way possible—and this applies to everyone, including a two-time rally world champion like Röhrl.

“Nobody should think that all-wheel drive will make you safe in winter with summer tires,” he says. This fallacy can have grave consequences because, compared to how they perform on dry asphalt, summer tires transfer only an average of about one-tenth of that power to snow-covered roads. Crucially, this also means the driver has only about 10 percent of the braking power

As far as the Macan is concerned, Röhrl thinks it offers very good performance, independent of the actual engine power. He especially enjoys driving it on snow. “In the many test-drives I’ve done with this Porsche, it has shown very close affinities to rally cars, particularly under winter conditions,” he says. “Turn in, brake straight into the curve, let the car gently catch up, and power out onto the straight. We didn’t test that on public roads, by the way.” Röhrl wouldn’t be Röhrl—a role model for responsible driving—if he didn’t add, “That’s completely against the rules on normal roads.” He also cautions that drivers should get to know and learn to control their cars’ steering behavior, especially under winter conditions—because, as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.”

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Hi folks -- I spent the better part of New Years' Eve reading Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. An unusual novel, the title is somewhat deceptive.  True, there is plenty of commentary of how to drive in the rain.  But more importantly, it is about life and how to deal with adverse circumstances.The novel's narrater is a dog!  Not any dog, mind you, but a Lab who lives with father Denny, mother Eve, and daughter Zoe in Seattle. Denny is an aspiring race driver. Eve is his wife, who will contract brain cancer and eventually die.  Zoe is their little girl, who grows up while her family goes through trauma that many of us will have to face in one form or another before we leave the earth.
The dog, named appropriately Enzo, has the wisdom of ten philosophy professors. If you read this book, you'll know what I mean. There are many choice lines in this book, but here is my favorite one:

"Consider the drivers who have been taken out of races by snapping their steering wheels, by overcorrecting to extremes and spinning their cars in front of their competitors. A terrible position to find oneself in--
A winner, a champion, will accept his fate.  He will continue with his wheels in the dirt. He will do his best to maintain his line and gradually get himself back on the track when it is safe to do so. Yes, he loses a few places in the race. Yes, he is at a disadvantage. But he is still racing. He is still alive.
The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the others than it is to drive too hard and crash.

A successful life is about balance, control, endurance, instinct, and relaxed hands at the wheel.