Walter de’Silva chosen as the Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner |  |
- Walter de’Silva chosen as the Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner
- Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nurburgring
- Britain by Bentley Tour celebrates 75th anniversary
- Porsche SE schedules EGM to take vote on merger with VW
- Audi employees seeing generous benefits
| Walter de’Silva chosen as the Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner Posted: 22 Jun 2011 06:30 PM PDT Walter de’Silva, head of Volkswagen Group Design, has been chosen as the Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner for the 2011 EyesOn Design Automotive Design Show. The award is unique in that only vehicle designers who have previously won it are allowed to vote. De’Silva accepted the award on Friday evening, June 17th, in Detroit at Vision Honored, the formal awards dinner. “He is working with a German company and has taken their teutonic design and added flare and excitement to a very functional look,” said Jack Telnack, a former EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award recipient who voted for de’Silva. “His Volkswagen and Audi designs are very clean and on trend and have a lot of customer appeal. I want to congratulate him and wish him continued success.” “This award has a special meaning for me because it is voted on by such prestigious design colleagues and it is the first time I have received such recognition on U.S. soil,” de’Silva said during his acceptance speech. “I was able to realize the dream of my life since I was a child: to design cars. It gave me the chance to work with some of the most renowned personalities of our industry, express my ideas in all types of models that now drive on roads all around the world, and contribute to the image of some of the most prestigious car brands.” EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award, selected by its previous recipients, recognizes individual excellence in automotive design. Previous award winners include such designers as Tom Gale, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Chuck Jordan, Shiro Nakamura, Sergio Pininfarina and Jack Telnack among others. One award is given every year, and recipients join a group of some of the most influential designers in the world. EyesOn Design is one of America’s premier automotive events. Each year, the event attracts members of the transportation design community, collectors, and the general public to celebrate and reflect on design. Vehicles were chosen based on this year’s theme “Designing for the Future” by invitation only. Between 200 and 300 domestic and foreign vehicles were onsite at the event as a result of their unique designs. About Walter de’SilvaWalter de’Silva is currently responsible for the design of all Volkswagen Group passenger car brands, including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and VW. He began his car design career in 1972 at the age of 21, working for FIAT. He was chosen head of design for Alfa Romeo in 1986. In his 13 years at Alfa Romeo, he designed the 1991 Proteo concept car, the 1996 Alfa Romeo Nuvola concept car and 1997 Alfa Romeo 156 and the 1997 Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider and others. In 1999, de’Silva moved to SEAT, the Spanish auto manufacturer which had become a subsidiary of VW Group. Tasked with injecting more verve and sportiness into the brand, he created the 2000 SEAT Salsa and the 2001 SEAT Tango concept cars, followed by his expressive designs for such cars as the 2002 SEAT Ibizia and Cordoba and the 2004 SEAT Altea and 2005 SEAT Leon. In March 2002, de’Silva was appointed head of design to the Audi brand group to give that brand a more dramatic look, which included the introduction of the full-height, single-frame grille that now adorns most Audi models. Influencing the 2004 restyling of the Audi A4, his first full production design for the brand was the 2004 A6, followed by the 2005 Audi Q7, the 2006 Audi TT and his favorite, the 2007 Audi A5. In February 2007, he became head of VW Group Design and is now responsible for all Volkswagen passenger car brands, including Skoda, SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. His designs include the 2008 VW Golf, the 2010 VW Toureg and the 2010 VW Passat among others. He is also designing the Porsche Cajun small SUV, due out in 2014. In addition, de’Silva recently designed a limited edition, titanium-bodied compact camera, the M9 Titanium for Leica. With its scratch-resistant sapphire crystal image screen, Nappa leather trim and LED-lighted viewfinder, only 500 of the rare cameras are being produced – with a price tag of $31,300 each. Related posts: Walter de’Silva chosen as the Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner
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| Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nurburgring Posted: 22 Jun 2011 12:34 PM PDT
Motorsport fans around the world wait in eager anticipation for the 25th of June, 2011. On this day, Porsche adds yet another superlative to the history of the Nurburgring-Nordschleife: At the Porsche Carrera World Cup, more than 100 participants from 25 countries contest the greatest Porsche race of all time on the legendary race track that is also dubbed the ‘green hell’. The race on the legendary circuit in Germany’s Eifel region with a total of 88 corners (northern loop plus the Grand Prix circuit) runs over six laps (152.268 kilometres), and is not just a case for the ‘Guinness Book of Records’. It also poses the greatest sporting challenge imaginable for Porsche Cup pilots. “The Nordschleife is a very tricky track,” says Uwe Brettel, General Manager Motorsport Sales at Porsche. He sums up the fascination of this race aptly: “The Carrera World Cup is the link between two very successful motorsport platforms: Porsche’s one-make race series and the Nurburgring-Nordschleife.” The Porsche Carrera World Cup, which takes off just prior to the 24 hour race, is not only unique because of its giant grid, but also because of the sporting significance. Quantity and quality – that was the whole idea. And it worked: The Porsche Mobil1 Supercup as the world’s fastest international one-make race series, and the well-supported Carrera Cups in Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia count this event as one of their regular championship rounds. Drivers will be classified for their respective series as well as for the Porsche Carrera World Cup. Also joining the action are guest drivers from other Carrera Cups and GT3 Cup Challenges around the world.
One of the most prominent competitors is Craig Baird. Over the course of his outstanding career, the New Zealander has notched up 109 victories in Porsche one-make race series, making him the most successful Porsche Cup pilot in the world. Porsche AG invited him back to the Nordschleife, which he knows from two 24 hour races there, to drive the VIP-car with the starting number 200. His Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is also a feast for the eyes. Its design is an artistic interpretation of the Nurburgring-Nordschleife as the ‘green hell’ with licking flames as well as a stylized world map representing the 25 nations from which the international grid comes to contest the greatest Porsche race on earth. At the wheel of the second VIP-911 fielded by Porsche Cars North America, Melanie Snow celebrates her race debut on the Eifel circuit. The mother of four is one of the most well-known racers in the USA and for many years has contested the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge where she won the Gold Cup class in 2009. At the Porsche Carrera World Cup the ‘world’s fastest mum’ is the only female in the field. The field is divided into two classes: The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with 3.6-litre engines from the 2007 to 2009 model years (400 to 420 hp) as well as the 3.8-litre version from the 2010 and 2011 model years (450 hp) are classified separately. Two sets of slicks and one set of wet tires are permitted for each vehicle for the entire race weekend. The starting groups, consisting of a maximum of 70 vehicles per group, take off on their journey into the “Green Hell” with a flying start (Indianapolis start). About two minutes separate each group.
So that the spectators can better recognize the vehicles, all start numbers have three-digits. The first numeral stands for the respective series from which the cars come. 0 stands for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, the number 1 for the Carrera Cup France, the number 2 for the Carrera Cup Deutschland, number 3 for the Carrera Cup and the GT3 Cup Challenge Great Britain, 4 for the Carrera Cup Italia and 5 for the Carrera Cup Scandinavia. The second and third numerals are the original starting numbers with which the individual cars contest their respective series. Prize money for the overall winner is 11,000 Euro. Second place receives 8,000 Euro, third 6,000 Euro. “Since its market launch in 1998 we’ve built more than 2,200 units of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup which are fielded in 20 one-make race series worldwide,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “With the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nordschleife, we want to offer our brand trophy series customers worldwide another highlight.” - Porsche Motorsport Related posts: Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nurburgring
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| Britain by Bentley Tour celebrates 75th anniversary Posted: 22 Jun 2011 08:12 AM PDT
Bentley Motors today rolled out the red carpet to welcome over a hundred members of the Bentley Drivers Club (BDC) – and their fifty Bentleys – to its headquarters in Crewe. The visit is part of the “Britain by Bentley” tour which celebrates the club’s 75th anniversary by emulating the tradition of the grand tour and traversing some 3,000 miles of UK roads in a range of models that span 80 years of Bentley’s history. Drivers have travelled from around the world to take part in the event: Syd and Nikki Reinhardt have travelled from Australia with their 1927 6.5-litre Mulsanne whilst others like Jenny Ford and her Blower Bentley are already based in the UK. The drivers arrived at Crewe Hall on Monday evening for a gala dinner with executive members from Bentley Motors. They then travelled to Bentley’s Pyms Lane site under an honorary police escort this morning for a tour of the factory where new models such as the Mulsanne and new Continental GT are now in full production.
Richard Charlesworth, Bentley’s Director of Royal and VIP Relations, who hosted the visit said: “No grand tour of Britain by Bentley would be complete without a visit to our headquarters here in Crewe”. “We are delighted to welcome so many members of the Bentley Drivers Club and their vehicles today. It is a unique and very special occasion to have so many rare and historic Bentleys gathered here in Crewe.” “Bentley and its drivers have always enjoyed a unique friendship which very few other motoring marques have been able to emulate. We hope that our visitors will also enjoy the factory tour and the opportunity to see the next generation of our cars which will create a new and exciting chapter for Bentley. Jenny Ford, Chair of the Bentley Drivers Club said: “The Bentley Drivers Club was set up 75 years ago by Bentley owners who reveled in driving their cars. We are proud to maintain that tradition today and have greatly enjoyed the warm welcome extended to us and the opportunity to see the Bentley factory flourishing.
- Bentley Motors Related posts: Britain by Bentley Tour celebrates 75th anniversary
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| Porsche SE schedules EGM to take vote on merger with VW Posted: 22 Jun 2011 07:33 AM PDT Porsche SE has scheduled an extraordinary general meeting for mid-December as it presses on with preparations for a merger with Volkswagen, brushing aside any remaining hurdles. “We are preparing everything necessary for the planned combination,” Porsche’s Chief Financial Officer Hans Dieter Poetsch said at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Friday.
VW wants to overtake Toyota as the world’s largest carmaker with 10 million vehicle sales annually by 2018 through a mixture of aggressive acquisitions, emerging market growth and streamlined production costs. Getting full control over the lucrative Porsche AG sportscar business and its industry-leading margins is a core element of VW’s strategy, and holding parent Porsche SE is the key. But talks have been hampered by pending legal and tax issues at Porsche. Any merger needs to be given the green light by VW’s preferred shareholders, which is considered unlikely until Porsche has cleaned up its balance sheet entirely and resolved issues over tax liabilities with the German authorities. “We are confident that we can successfully resolve tax questions in good time,” Poetsch said on Friday. Porsche has said it estimates even odds that it can be folded into Volkswagen by the end of this year, when its agreement for a merger under the leadership of VW is still valid. Nonetheless, Porsche and VW have expressed a commitment to go through with the deal next year if there is a delay. Volkswagen is also juggling several other deals, which include combining the truck-making operations of MAN and Sweden’s Scania (SCVb.ST) and forming an alliance with Japanese group Suzuki . (Reporting by Hendrik Sackmann; writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters) - Reuters Related posts: Porsche SE schedules EGM to take vote on merger with VW
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| Audi employees seeing generous benefits Posted: 22 Jun 2011 06:45 AM PDT Audi may be No. 2 to BMW in global luxury car sales so far this year, but it’s well ahead of its Bavarian rival in a very important category with workers: annual profit-sharing bonus. Audi employees are getting 6,513 euros on average for 2010 while the average payout at BMW is 5,840 euros. Much like the global ranking for premium-car sales, Daimler also is third in this area, with an average payout of 3,150 euros for 2010. Employees whose jobs are covered under the companies’ collective bargaining agreements are receiving big profit-sharing payouts because of the massive success their employers enjoyed in 2010. The average payout given to Audi employees for 2010 beats the company’s previous best of 5,307 euros on average for 2008. Audi sold a record 1,092,400 cars last year and had an operating profit of 3.3 billion euros. At BMW, the average bonus for the 2010 fiscal year tops the previous high of 5,600 euros given for 2007, which was the year the company sold a record 1.50 million BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles. In 2010, BMW sold 1.46 million cars and reported a record net profit of 3.2 billion euros. Daimler’s average payout for 2010 was the second highest given by the company and just a bit below the 3,750 euro bonus for 2007. The 2010 payout rewarded workers for a year when the company’s net profit soared to 4.67 billion euros from a loss of 2.64 billion euros in 2009. BMW did not give a profit-sharing payout in 2008 and 2009 due to the global financial crisis. Daimler withheld the payout in 2009 but gave employees a 500 euro “thank you” bonus for that year. Audi, meanwhile, paid a bonus without interruption. Since 2006, the average annual payout at Audi has been about 4,850 euros. (See box, below) With all three premium automakers predicting new sales records in 2011, employees who are on the profit-sharing plan will probably be smiling again next year at about this time. - Autonews Related posts: Audi employees seeing generous benefits
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