In Shanghai, China, Porsche recently began construction on a Porsche Experience Center driving facility, the first such center in Asia, which joins two others in Leipzig, Germany, and Silverstone, England.
President and CEO of Porsche AG, Matthias Mueller, says, “This new facility will join a selective group of other Experience Centers worldwide, built to reward our most loyal customers, and China was the next natural choice.”
The Center, which is targeted to open in early 2014, will feature a track on which Porsche owners and enthusiasts can “discover the pleasure of driving and to hone their skills,” Porsche says. In addition to the handling circuit, there will also be a slalom-course and a low-friction circle, and the Training Center will be located in a three-story building. All these facilities will fit onto a 100,000 square-meter plot of land.
Porsche says it has long considered the Chinese market for an Experience Center and started making preparations for one over a year ago. In February, Porsche signed an agreement with the Shanghai International Circuit (SIC), which hosts the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, to locate the Experience Center next to it.
China is an important, fast-growing market for Porsche, one that company executives have said will eventually overtake the U.S. as Porsche’s biggest customer. “The establishment of this facility truly is a testament to the dedication shown by our countless loyal customers across the country,” says Helmut Broeker, CEO of Porsche China. “So to demonstrate our commitment to the loyalty of these customers, and in recognition of the outstanding growth we continue to enjoy in this rapidly expanding market, we are building this center."
