Porsche Engineering opens new office in Beijing

MANILA: Porsche Engineering opened a new office in China to cater to the localization needs of the Chinese market in terms of automated driving, connectivity, infotainment, and assistance systems.

The new office in Beijing extends the capabilities of Porsche Engineering at its other Chinese site in Shanghai, where more than 130 employees are already working on cutting-edge automotive projects.

“Developments for China are ideally pursued in China itself; only there are the engineers close enough to the market and customers to develop China-specific functions. We have already been well positioned for this in Shanghai, and the Beijing office’s close proximity to key customers will support us in our plans to build an even stronger presence on China’s market, further strengthening our capabilities in developing intelligent and connected vehicles,” Porsche Engineering Chief Executive Officer and Porsche Engineering China Advisory Board Chairman Peter Schafer stated.

The new R&D office is situated in Chaoyang District, which is home to a number of renowned automotive companies.

“The Chinese market has become a leading source of key technologies and industry transformation thanks to customers’ affinity for high-tech developments. As a luxury sports car manufacturer, strengthening local investment and R&D is a significant part of Porsche's global innovation strategy. With the expansion of Porsche Engineering in Beijing, I expect a fast growth of the overall R&D and engineering capabilities of the Porsche Group in China, and further contributions to our success in the global market while promoting local innovation,” Porsche China President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Kirsch said.

According to Porsche Engineering China Chief Executive Officer Uwe Pichler-Necek, the company's initiatives in China are focused on developing intelligent and connected vehicles because there is a high demand for these services. “The opening of Porsche Engineering’s new Beijing office is an important step towards realizing our goals of adapting to the special characteristics of the Chinese market and developing specifically for vehicles in China,” he said.

The automotive industry in China has a sophisticated digital ecosystem and specific legal requirements. Chinese consumers are also growing more specific and detailed in their demands. For China, vehicle systems and methods are mostly carried out locally to accommodate the special characteristics of the country.

Porsche Engineering has been engaged in China for more than 30 years and is still growing there as a result of its strong commitment to the company's goal.

“At the moment we are in the middle of the recruiting process. We are always looking for motivated and qualified colleagues, who would like to shape the mobility of the future together with us,” Pichler-Necek added.

Porsche Engineering China primarily hires specialists for highly automated driving, chassis, high-voltage systems, connected services, and infotainment.

Photos from Porsche

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