t o P o r s c h e .F r o m P o r s c h e

The history of an Austrian enterprise.

The story of the Porsche family is profoundly

Austrian. Affected by political upheavals

since the beginning of the 20th century,

influenced by the amazing advances of

technology and by the fascination of the

automobile. This is the story of a family

that has contributed substantially to the

development of motor cars. The history of

the family and that of the enterprise have

been intimately entwined at all times.

The electric wheel-

hub motor was deve-

loped by Ferdinand

Porsche while

employed by Lohner

in Vienna. The

Lohner-Porsche

caused a sensation

at the 1900 Paris

World Fair.

Prof. Dr. Ferdinand

Porsche, the ingeni-

ous technician and

designer, drew his

energy from the crea-

tive restlessness that

marked his person-

ality for a lifetime.

Daughter Louise

at the wheel of one

of the cars designed

by her father, as early

as 1909.

Ferdinand Porsche

not only designed

cars, but also drove

them. In an Austro

Daimler he won the

most important

motorcar event of

his time, the

Prinz-Heinrich-

Fahrt, in 1910.

Proud owner of a car

at the early age of 11:

son Ferry in a „small“

Austro Daimler,

equipped with

a 3.5 HP petrol

engine, in 1920.

Designed for

Mercedes: the

famous sports cars

of the classes S, SS

and SSK.

The Porsche saga begins with

Ferdinand Porsche, the ingenious

designer.

The story of the family

starts in Maffersdorf,

Bohemia on September

3, 1875. This is the day

Ferdinand Porsche is born as the third

child of his parents Anton and Anna

Porsche. At the time the automobile is

being invented, Ferdinand Porsche is

11 years old. Electricity holds a parti-

cular fascination for him. At the age of

13 he installs electric bells in his

parents’ house and provides it with

electric light when he is 16.

In 1893, Ferdinand Porsche starts his

job career with Vereinigte Elektrizi-

tätswerke Bela Egger & Co in Vienna.

Not more than four years later the hig-

hly talented young man is appointed

leader of the test centre for electric

motors, only to become assistant to

the works manager a short time later.

Shortly before the turn of

the century, Ferdinand

Porsche starts to work for

the Lohner Imperial and

Royal Court Coach Factory in Vienna.

It is there that Porsche develops his

first car equipped with a wheel-hub

motor which garnered the praise of an

international audience at the World

Fair in Paris. Since wheel-hub motors

were mounted on each of its 4 wheels,

the Lohner-Porsche was the first four-

wheel drive vehicle in automotive

history. I70 years later NASA used the

same principle in their lunar vehicle.

In 1902 F. Porsche has the honour of

driving the Archduke Franz Ferdinand

in the Lohner-Porsche on the occasion

of the imperial manoeuvres.

Porsche in charge of Austro-Daimler.

In 1903, Ferdinand

Porsche gets married and

in the following year his

daughter Louise is born.

Porsche moves to Wiener Neustadt,

where he is to control the fortune of

Austro-Daimler, the big Austrian auto-

mobile company, for the next seven-

teen years.

In 1909, his son Ferdinand, called

„Ferry,“ is born. During his time at

Austro-Daimler, Ferdinand Porsche

designs automobiles, an aircraft engi-

ne and a 6-cylinder engine with 100

HP, for which he received an honorary

doctorate from the Technical Universi-

ty of Vienna. Also while at Austro-

Daimler, Porsche designs

a hybrid drive combining

internal combustion/

electric components.

His private passion, however, is car

racing. At the beginning of the 20th

century he wins the Semmering

Mountain Rallye in a Lohner-Porsche

in new record time. The year 1910,

however, sees his biggest success in

motor racing, as he wins the „Prinz-

Heinrich-Fahrt“, the top event of the

time, in an Austro-Daimler, boasting

its revolutionary, streamlined, „tulip-

shaped“ torpedo body.

During World War I, Aus-

tro-Daimler switched to

military production. For

the Austro-Hungarian

army Porsche designs the „Landwehr-

zug“, which has an internal combusti-

on/ electric drive and can thus move

both on the road and on rail. Although

it is wartime, Porsche designs engines

with six cylinders in line and V12 cylin-

der drives, having a capacity of up to

400 HP. After the war, Ferdinand Por-

sche builds the first two-seater sports

car, the „Sascha“, which wins the

famous Targa Floria right after being

launched.

Porsche goes to Germany.

In 1923, Ferdinand Por-

sche transfers to Daimler,

Stuttgart, where he holds

the position of Technical

Director. He is in charge of designing

trucks, aircraft engines and the

famous sports cars, type S, SS and SSK.

As Benz and Daimler merge to esta-

blish Daimler-Benz AG, Ferdinand

Porsche does not renew his contract,

but returns to Austria to take over the

management of the Steyr-Werke,

Austria’s biggest automobile plant

at the time.

In 1928, daughter Louise marries the

Viennese lawyer, Dr. Anton Piëch. At

that time Ferry Porsche attends a pri-

vate school in Vienna and improves

his technical knowledge at the Steyr-

Werke.

In the wake of the world economic cri-

sis, the bank of the Steyr Werke goes

bankrupt and is taken over by the CA.

Due to the restrictions imposed on the

development department, Ferdinand

Porsche turns his back on the Steyr-

Werke AG and retransfers to Stuttgart,

where he founds his own design office

in 1931.

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

Created on the

drawing boards

of the Porsche

design office: the

Volkswagen Beetle,

the world’s most

widely produced car.

A Porsche develop-

ment: the 16-cylinder

mid-engined racing

car for Auto Union,

invented and

constructed by a

team of Austrian

technicians.

Camouflaged in a

saw mill in the

Carinthian Malta

Valley: the Porsche

design office in

1944/45.

Formula One racing

car from the Malta

Valley, the „Cisitalia“:

one of the first orders

for the young enter-

prise; a flat, 12-cylin-

der mid-engine,

4-wheel drive. The

money it brings

in is used to buy the

father back from

internment.

April 1, 1947, in

Gmünd: Louise Piëch

and her brother

Ferry Porsche found

the Austrian

company, Porsche

Konstruktionen

GesmbH.

June 1948 in Gmünd:

the sports car Porsche

356 is born.

Ferry Porsche’s dream

of his own sports car

has come true. It is

the start of the sports

car legend. Proud of

his son, proud of

their own sports car:

father and son.

Ferdinand Porsche’s own enterprise.

The young Ferry Porsche is already

integrated in the Dr. Ing. h.c. F.

Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH.

There Porsche designs all sorts of

technical equipment, such as wind

power engines, turbines, as well as

engines and prototypes for a number

of car manufacturers, like Wanderer,

Zündapp and NSU. At that time

Ferdinand Porsche is offered the job of

a director general for building up a car

manufacturing industry in the Soviet

Union. Yet Porsche declines the offer.

In 1933 Porsche designs the legendary

16-cylinder mid-engined racing car for

Auto Union, which is to

become one of the most

successful racing cars at

the time.

Porsche designs the Volkswagen.

On June 22, 1934 Ferdinand Porsche is

commissioned by the RDA (Associ-

ation of the Automobile Industry of

the German Reich) to develop a car for

the people, the Volkswagen. Its first

prototypes are still built in the Stutt-

gart workshop. Ferry Porsche is entru-

sted with the testing of the Volkswa-

gen and is the first to cover thousands

of kilometres in this car. Yet it is not

until 1936 that the exten-

sive test drives take place

under the supervision of

the RDA.

In the same year, Ferdinand Porsche

travels to the States, where he fami-

liarizes himself with the mass produc-

tion of cars. In 1937 Ferdinand Porsche

is named director in charge of the

Volkswagen project. On May 26, 1938

the foundation stone of the Volks-

wagen plant is laid, and the Volkswa-

gen comes to be called the „KdF“

(strength through joy) car. However,

the Second World War forced the fac-

tory to convert to military production

such as jeeps, like the „VW Kübelwa-

gen“ and amphibious vehicles. Tank

engines take the place of racing cars

on the drawing boards of the Porsche

Konstruktionen GesmbH.

The second part of the family saga.

While the Second World

War is still raging, the

Porsche design company

moves to Gmünd in

Carinthia. The war being over, Ferry

Porsche and his team work on win-

ches and tractors and repair former

military vehicles, also in their work-

shop in Zell am See.

Louise Piëch and Ferry Porsche found

the Austrian company in 1947.

Since there was a risk

that the occupation for-

ces might seize all their

possessions, Louise

Piëch and her brother Ferry Porsche

founded the Austrian Porsche Kon-

struktionen GesmbH in Gmünd,

Carinthia, on April 1, 1947.

At that time the company is commis-

sioned by the Italian tycoon Dusio to

design an all-wheel drive, formula 1

racing car. However, the „Cisitalia“

never took part in a race because of

financial problems. Bro-

ther and sister use the

proceeds made with the

Cisitalia as bail so that

their father can return home from

internment in France.

In the meantime, Ferry

Porsche is working in

Gmünd to fulfil his dre-

am of building a fast and

lightweight sports car based on its

„father,“ the VW Beetle. The sports car

is named Porsche 356, after its desi-

gner, and is to establish the legendary

reputation of the Porsche sports cars.

Well over a dozen of these sports cars

are still manufactured in the Porsche

workshop at Alpenstrasse, Salzburg, in

the years 1949/1950.

Immediately after mass production of

the Beetle started in the rebuilt Volks-

wagen plant in Wolfsburg, Ferry Por-

sche approaches the then CEO of VW,

Mr. Nordhoff, to negotiate the con-

tracts that have been due for a long

time. After all the Beetle was designed

in the Porsche office.

In preliminary negotiations Ferry

Porsche achieves an agreement on a

licence fee to be paid for every Beetle

and wins the approval to build a

sports car based on VW parts. At the

same time it is agreed that this sports

car be sold through VW’s later world-

wide distribution network.

Ferry Porsche also manages to obtain

the VW general importer’s license for

Austria and eventually this agreement

is signed by Prof. Ferdinand Porsche,

Ferry Porsche, Louise Piëch and her

husband, Dr. Anton Piëch in Germany

(Bad Reichenhall). On September 7,

1948, the district administration of

Spittal an der Drau, Carinthia, issues

a trade license to “deal in motor

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

In 1949 the company is

transferred to Alpen-

strasse in Salzburg. The

Piëch family takes care of

the automobile trade,

while Ferry Porsche

builds up the factory in

Stuttgart. Both

companies remain in the

joint ownership of

brother and sister.

Louise Piëch ran the

Porsche enterprise

for 20 years, thus

creating the basis for

the permanent suc-

cess of the Austrian

VW distribution

organisation.

On April 16, 1949 the

first 14 Beetles are

delivered to Austrian

customers. This is

how the story of

success is launched in

Alpenstrasse,

Salzburg.

vehicles and their spare parts, limited

to products of the Wolfsburger

Motorenwerke“, (later known as Volks-

wagenwerk), to the name of Ferdinand

Porsche. The decisive step has been

taken.

Porsche in Salzburg,

Porsche in Stuttgart.

Since it is obvious that

business cannot be con-

ducted from Gmünd,

Louise Piëch and Ferry

Porsche transfer the company from

Gmünd to Alpenstrasse, Salzburg. On

February 28, 1949 operations start on a

former training area for pioneers.

Ferry Porsche, who has already forged

big plans in Gmünd, returns to

Stuttgart where he is in charge of buil-

ding up the sports car factory. Ferry

Porsche’s name comes to be insepara-

bly linked with the Porsche sports cars

– thanks to the sports cars the name

Porsche acquires worldwide fame and

becomes one of the best known brand

names for motor cars which admirably

combine aesthetics and sportiness.

In the meantime the Piëchs are sailing

full speed ahead in Salzburg. However,

both enterprises remain in the joint

ownership of Louise Piëch and Ferry

Porsche at all times.

Start of the automobile business

in Salzburg.

The first Beetles arrive in 1949. On May

16, the import business starts in

Salzburg. At that time 14 Beetles are

delivered via Switzerland, the first six

of them being used as demonstration

cars. The seventh car is sold to the first

customer, Viktor Piatnik, the producer

of playing cards from Vienna. The new

Beetle becomes his personal ace of

hearts. In those days no real sales were

made, but business worked on the

basis of barter transactions.

In 1949 the Porsche company achieves

a turnover of 6,072,000 Austrian shil-

lings with its company at Alpenstrasse,

its branch establishment in Gmünd

and its establishment in Zell am See.

In fact the annual turnover of that

time is now achieved by the Austrian

Porsche concern in not more than 20

working minutes.

From 1950 onwards, Dr. Anton Piëch

runs the Salzburg company, having

been formally appointed General

Manager of Porsche Konstruktionen

GesmbH. The central spare parts

warehouse is built in Salzburg in 1950,

giving proof of the pre-eminently

important strategic approach to gua-

rantee optimum support for all VW

customers. In the midst of all these

activities the family is hit hard by two

strokes of fate. On January 30, 1951

Prof. Ferdinand Porsche dies an aged

man. Only one year later, the family is

afflicted by Dr. Anton Piëch’s sudden

death.

Louise Piëch and her

brother, Ferry Porsche,

are faced with the questi-

on, whether to sell or to

continue the Salzburg Porsche com-

pany. They decide to continue and

Louise Piëch, a mother of four, takes

over the management of the young

enterprise. At that time the Porsche

Salzburg staff consists of 71 members.

And Louise Piëch tackles the task with

inimitable energy.

Yet it is not until the liberalisation of

automobile imports that business

starts booming. The real upswing

comes in autumn 1953. Sales figures

for the Beetle rise from 798 units in

1952 to 2,675 in 1953.

The Beetle made it possible.

It is the time when Loui-

se Piëch organizes a

nationwide VW distribu-

tion network. All over the

country VW enterprises mushroom,

proudly displaying the brand’s trade-

mark. Already at this early stage an

efficient customer service system pro-

vides the basis for a successful auto-

mobile trade organisation. In 1954 the

VW marque, holding a market share of

25.1 % with 5,218 passenger cars sold,

for the first time rises to the position

of market leader, never to lose it again

after 1957.

Also in Austria the Beetle is considered

the symbol of the economic miracle.

The Porsche company in Salzburg

grew up with the Beetle to become

Austria’s most important automobile

company. As early as the beginning of

the fifties the Porsche company esta-

blishes own retail dealerships.

The first of them is

Alpenstrasse Salzburg,

followed by the work-

shop opposite the central

train station, next to the customer ser-

vice building, the Porschehof I, which

later came to be nicknamed „the blue

building“. Due to its colour it stood out

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

A visible sign

of upturn: the

Porschehof in

Salzburg opposite

the Central Train

Station.

In 1957 the showroom

at the train station is

opened in the presen-

ce of Volkswagen’s

CEO, Mr. Nordhoff.

Louise Piëch and

Ferry Porsche are

rightly proud of what

they have achieved

together. The Porsche

enterprises, both in

Salzburg and in

Stuttgart, are

flourishing.

In 1962 the

new Porschehof is

built in the Fanny-

von-Lehnert Strasse.

Motor sports history:

Jochen Rindt wins in a

Formula V, Porsche 917

carries the Austrian

colours to victory in Le

Mans, the Rallye-Beetle

wins the Elba Rallye.

from the other buildings erected later

on. Louise Piëch runs the growing ent-

erprise with prudence and great com-

mercial skill.

VW – The Austrians’ favourite

car brand.

In 1957 the showroom

opposite the central train

station is opened in the

presence of Volkswagen’s

CEO, Mr. Nordhoff. In 1959 Porsche

establishes its first branch operation

at Wiener Neustadt, which is run by

Louise Piëch’s eldest son, Ing. Ernst

Piëch. In 1961 an event calls for cele-

bration in Salzburg: the 100.000th VW

has just been registered in Austria. At

that time VW holds a market share of

28%, with Fiat (16.8%) and Opel

(14.8%) trailing behind at a safe

distance.

In 1962, the Porschehof II

in the Fanny-von-Leh-

nert Strasse is built, and

the blue VW trademark

signalises for all Salzburg where VW is

based. The next years see the esta-

blishment of retail dealerships in Zell

am See, Saalfelden, Hallein, Kapfen-

berg and Vienna-Arndtstrasse, follo-

wed by the dealerships of Klagenfurt,

Villach and Wolfsberg in the ‘60s. The

retail sector of what is later to become

the Porsche-Inter Auto (PIA), is gai-

ning contour. In 1967 construction of

the workshop at Sterneckstrasse Salz-

burg is begun.

At that time Porsche Salzburg

attracted worldwide attention due to

its motor sports activities. Formula V

racing cars are built and cause a great

stir. In addition, the Porsche 908 and

917, racers starting for Salzburg,

perform outstandingly on the

Nürburgring, at Watkins Glen and Le

Mans. They proudly bear the lettering

„Österreich 1“ and „Österreich 2“ on

top of their windscreens. Years later,

the Rally-Beetles of Por-

sche Salzburg cause a

tremendous sensation

and win the Elba Rally.

With new ideas on the

road to success.

With the introduction of the car rental

service in 1962 and the leasing busi-

ness in 1966, Porsche starts at an early

stage to engage in activities around

the car, thus boosting the customer

service sector. However, business is

getting tougher and tougher. The

Beetle is ageing. The models 411 and

1500 are not a successful follow-up

to the Beetle.

With intensive advertising, Porsche

starts to build up its marketing, which

at the time is not yet called marketing

but sales support. Among other activi-

ties, the „fruit beetles“ are launched,

their name deriving from the bright

colours in which the Beetle presents

itself for the first time.

The next step forward.

1971 marks a turning point in Por-

sche’s history. Louise Piëch and Prof.

Ferry Porsche decide that all family

members are to give up their operatio-

nal functions both in Salzburg and in

Stuttgart and are to withdraw – like

they themselves – to the supervisory

boards of both companies. The four

children in each family, begin to pur-

sue their own job careers. Ferdinand

Alexander Porsche, for example, the

designer of the Porsche 911, founds his

own design office in Zell am See,

Ferdinand Piëch transfers from

Porsche to Audi and makes his way to

the very top, becoming Chief Executi-

ve of the Volkswagenwerk AG.

After 20 years under the leadership of

their „boss“, as Louise Piëch is called

with due respect, the Porsche company

in Salzburg has become an outstanding

enterprise in the automobile sector.

Under the guidance of a Management

Board the company is restructured.

Porsche Austria assumes the task of

importing Volkswagen, the retail activi-

ties are consolidated in one corporate

division and a great number of new

staff is being recruited. The 500.000th

VW is registered. PIA builds dealerships

in Dornbirn, Graz and Innsbruck, the

Audi-NSU establishments in Salzburg

and Wiener Neustadt join the Group.

First steps in the direction of holding

interests in other industries (Portex)

show that following this trend of a lot

of enterprises to gain ground outside

their core business is not so easy after

all. The Audi NSU impor-

ter, however, is a different

matter, since at that time

it is still a company in

which only an interest is held (the

other part belongs to the manufactu-

rer). For the time being the Audi dea-

lership in Wien-Liesing develops most

favourably, later on Porsche becomes

the general importer of all Audi cars.

The Salzburg location turns into a

huge building site. The workshop

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

Apart from importing

cars, a retail division

is being developed.

Visible growth of the

Porsche company: in

spite of expansion,

office space at the

location near the

train station is

getting scarce.

First steps to go

abroad. Sonauto, the

Porsche importer in

France, develops into

a small but highly

successful importer of

vehicles from various

manufacturers.

opposite the central train station

makes way for the Porschehof III,

which houses the Head Office, but

above all provides room for the new

computing center, which

since then has facilitated

a rapid flow of data.

Handwritten notes, blue-

prints and typewriters with correcting

ribbons are matters of the past. This

development marks radical changes in

the work done at Porsche.

The Beetle becomes the most widely

produced car in the world, thus out-

stripping the Ford Tin Lizzy. With the

help of spectacular marketing activi-

ties, Porsche Austria once more

pushes the aged Beetle to a high. Yet it

is the takeover of Audi imports by

Porsche Austria that marks a decisive

step in the development. Nevertheless

the Austrian distribution organisation

clearly feels the weaknesses of the VW

product range, which is why all hopes

rest on the new models such as the

Passat, Golf, Scirocco and Polo. In

view of this scenario, expanding the

product range by the Audi models, is a

very important move.

Porsche crosses borders.

The Porsche Holding is

taking shape, in France

the Sonauto company (a

joint venture of the Por-

sche AG) is placed under the direct

control of Salzburg and a few years

later, the newly founded Porsche

España joins the Porsche Group.

Porsche has embarked on the way to

becoming a European trading com-

pany. It is true that by far the majority

of the business is done on the Austrian

market, since these two companies

only supply niches of the European

market with smaller marques of

various manufacturers.

The Austrian market is of prime

importance.

In fact in Austria the introduction of

the new VW model generation brings

about the desired turning point.

Thanks to the fact that the VAT is

raised, sales rocket, only to plummet

again in the following year. However,

these violent fluctuations are an

opportunity for Porsche to further

improve the swiftness and flexibility

of the entire distribution network.

Supported by Porsche Austria and

their creative marketing, outstanding

service support and excellent

foresight, the distribution organi-

sation is able to take an exciting and

successful development.

In 1985 Porsche starts distributing the

Seat marque, a completely new

distribution network is installed and

with the help of the new generation of

Seat models, the market share can be

gradually raised.

Opening the new spare parts distribution

centre is a milestone in the field of logi-

stics, which proves as an advantage in

competition as Porsche moves into

countries of the former Eastern bloc.

The „Allgemeine Leasingzentrale“

(Central Leasing Company) is replaced

by the Porsche Bank AG and the Por-

sche Insurance AG, which develop into

a highly specialised company providing

all financial services related to cars.

Porsche gives impetus to

subsuppliers.

Let’s take a short step back into the

seventies. The idea of Bruno Kreisky,

Federal Chancellor at the time, to build

an all-Austrian car, the „Austro Por-

sche“ eventually fails due to insuffi-

cient distribution opportunities.

Nevertheless, Porsche, the biggest

Austrian automobile importer makes

tremendous endeavours to get the

sub-supplying business from Austria

to the manufacturers on track. In retro-

spective Porsche has made a signifi-

cant contribution to the successful

development of Austrian sub suppliers.

Activities in new lines of business.

Porsche itself is also active as a sub-

supplier on a small scale. The Porsche

„Produktions- und Handels-GesmbH“

with its workshop in Alpenstrasse has

from the very beginning specialized in

manufacturing parts for the Porsche

356, and later on for the Porsche 911,

supplying them to Stuttgart. By

investing in some Austrian industrial

enterprises (Fichtel & Sachs, Alu

Druck-Guss) and later by purchasing

the German Zipperle Group (1988),

Porsche makes headway also in this

line.

Since Porsche has utilized the maxi-

mum of opportunities in the Austrian

automobile business – as the superior

market leader holding a market share of

about 20 %, this position can hardly be

surpassed with the current model range

– it makes sense to engage in the sub-

supplying business so as to have a

second leg to stand on. The purchase of

Taylorix AG and the expansion of EDP

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

activities provides a third pillar. But it is

exactly at that time that worldwide

restructuring in these two lines of

business leaves no stone unturned. A

few years later the Porsche Holding

gradually withdraws from these fields.

The chance of the century.

The political changes in Eastern Euro-

pe afford a once-a-century chance for

Porsche. As the borders come down,

vast opportunities suddenly open up

for entrepreneurial development. This

is particularly true in view of the fact

that due to establishing a distribution

network in the new German states and

due to the purchase of Skoda, the

Volkswagen AG does not have any

management resources left to become

active in the reform countries

straightaway.

This is why the Volkswagen AG com-

missions the Porsche Holding to set

up a distribution network for the VW

Group marques in Hungary. Sharing a

similar mentality with the neighbou-

ring states and understanding the

needs of the people in these countries

predestines Porsche to lay a sound

basis for a successful future. The over-

riding aim is to build up national ent-

erprises and to staff them with local

employees up to the top echelons.

With the help of an outs-

tandingly successful coa-

ching system, Porsche

Hungaria becomes the

model company among the foreign

subsidiaries.

At the same time Porsche manages to

reanimate the Skoda marque in Aus-

tria and is highly successful. With

great ingenuity and know-how, the

newly founded Skoda importer deve-

lops a distribution- and marketing

concept tailored to the needs of the

marque. It is with this concept that in

no time Skoda, still more of an out-

sider, first becomes a coveted car

among insiders and later on, after

qualitative improvement of the model

range, literally sells like hotcakes.

In Czechoslovakia, the

VW importer of the

manufacturer com-

missions the Austrian

Porsche Group to establish retail dea-

lerships for VW and Audi, both in Pra-

gue and in Bratislava. As the country

splits into a Czech and a Slovak Repu-

blic, the supply channels that had

been built up laboriously by the local

VW importer break down, whereupon

Porsche also wins an importer’s con-

tract for the Slovak Republic.

The disintegration of Yugoslavia and

the ensuing war cut Slovenia off from

the supply of VW and Audi models,

which had so far been handled by the

manufacturer’s importer in Sarajevo.

Porsche applies to be entrusted with

the import business, with the advanta-

ge that it can point to its outstanding

success both in Hungary and in Slova-

kia. Porsche fulfils the task in record

time.

Not later than six weeks

after having been com-

missioned, all supply

channels from the parts

distribution centre in Salzburg are

working and the new car business

starts in Slovenia.

Growth in the East.

The Porsche Holding has long realized

that the chance to grow lies in the

reform countries, where there is a

great desire for mobility, yet the possi-

bility for people to buy a private car is

still a long way off due to the lack of

purchasing power. It is in these coun-

tries that all European car manufactu-

rers are eager to build up distribution

networks so as to have a foot in the

door for the long-term development of

future sales. Porsche Holding takes a

pioneer role in these markets and

invests in long-term development of

its car trading activities. Having been

commissioned to establish a distribu-

tion network in Romania

(1997) and the joint ven-

ture in Croatia (1999) are

further proof of the suc-

cessful course Porsche has been stee-

ring in these countries since the

beginning of the ‘90s. In 2004 Porsche

Holding takes up its automobile tra-

ding activities in Serbia and Montene-

gro as well as in Bulgaria. 2005 sees the

start of business activities in Albania

and Macedonia. In 2008 Porsche Hol-

ding starts its trading activities in

Ukraine.

Growth in the West.

As to internationalisation, the Porsche

Holding made an early start back in

the seventies in France, where it acted

as an importer for a variety of minor

marques from all over the world.

However, the Holding saw itself

confronted with more and more pro-

blems, because in France, which is

one of the biggest European automo-

bile markets, practically all major car

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

Setting standards in

the reform countries

– Porsche Hungaria,

the parade horse

among the

subsidiaries. Porsche

takes shape as a

European enterprise.

Porsche starts

importing to

the southern

neighbour Slovenia.

Growth in Slovakia.

The importer

Porsche Slovakia and

the retail dealership in

Bratislava.

Also in Romania

Porsche builds up a

distribution network

for the marques of

the VW-Group.

The PGA acquires

an interest in the

Dutch automobile

dealership chain

Nefkens.

In 1998 the new

Porschehof

is opened.

manufacturers are represented by

their own subsidiaries. This is why the

possibilities for the Porsche subsidi-

ary, Sonauto, which in its best times

had been able to sell up to 40,000 new

cars and 60,000 motorcycles, became

more and more limited.

The Porsche Holding

therefore sought other

opportunities for retail

business in this big

Western European market. By holding

interests in the PGA, one of the most

successful automobile retail chains in

France, the Porsche Holding has esta-

blished a totally new platform in this

country.

Strengthened by the new partnership,

the PGA first expanded their business

to Holland, where they acquired an

interest in the renowned Dutch car

trading chain Nefkens (2001). One year

later (2002) PGA bought the French

retail chain CICA and took a financial

interest in the retail group GGBA. The

PGA expanded its sphere of action in

France & bought the car trading chain

SAIP (2006) & SAS Carlet (2007).

In the year 2006 Nefkens bought the

Ekris Group in the Netherlands. In

2008 “Ellada” – the new subsidiary of

the PGA Group – starts in Greece. The

PGA Group acts as a totally indepen-

dent company and to date encompas-

ses close to 300 enterprises.

These companies are part of the distri-

bution network for the marques Peu-

geot, Citroën, Renault, Mercedes,

BMW, Mini, Volkswagen, Audi, Ford,

Opel, Jaguar, Toyota, Landrover,

Nissan and Honda.

Growth in Austria.

The beginning of 1998 marks the festi-

ve opening of the new Porschehof,

which now provides sufficient space

for some 750 staff.

The Austrian Porsche

dealerships have made a

considerable leap in gro-

wth, since in the era of

Ferdinand Piëch the Volkswagen

Group perfected its multibrand stra-

tegy thanks to the spectacular TDI

technology and to innovative produc-

tion techniques, while at the same

time expanding the range of products

to reach also market niches. Whereas

at the beginning of the nineties a mar-

ket share of 20% seemed to be the

very peak of aspirations,

Porsche Austria (VW, Audi), Allmobil

(Seat) and Intercar Austria (Skoda)

have expanded their market radius far

beyond 30%.

By adding the distribution of Bentley (in

2000) and of Lamborghini (in 2001) to

the business, the Porsche Holding is

now represented in a further, highly

exclusive segment of the market. In

April 2006 the subsidiary became an

authorized distribution partner of the

Bugatti marque in Austria and in the

South Eastern countries of Europe.

New Opportunities in China.

In 2004 the Porsche Holding started a

pilot project with one retail joint ventu-

re in China. The Chinese subsidiary

Hangzhou Jun Bao Hang exclusively

retails premium marques at seven loca-

tions at present. This pilot project ser-

ves the Porsche Holding as a test field

for new opportunities in automobile

retail in the booming Chinese market.

Porsche Holding, one of the most

successful European automobile

trade companies.

Starting out from humble begin-

nings, Porsche has become one of

the most successful European auto-

mobile trade companies.

Concentration on the core business

activities around the automobile,

opening up of Eastern European

markets, the strong market position

in Austria and the new retail activi-

ties in France and in Holland afford

the enterprise further possibilities to

grow.

In the 62 years since its foundation,

Porsche has sold more than 4 million

cars. Porsche is extremely successful,

be it in the highly developed markets

of Central and Western Europe, be it

in the Eastern European markets that

are just beginning to develop, and

thus proves to be able to respond to

the distinctiveness of the markets, to

the diverse pace of development and

to the varied wishes of its customers.

Thanks to new information techno-

logies, to comprehensive financial

services around the car, to the right

feeling for changing customer needs

and, above all, being lucky enough to

have the best product range, Porsche

has gained an outstanding position

in the European system of automobi-

le trade.

The credo of the Austrian founders to

seize new chances and to be at the

disposal of the customers will always

be part and parcel of the company’s

philosophy.

T h e P o r s c h e s a g a .

handels Ges.m.b.H. (used cars) established

in Vösendorf • Leasing agencies (ALZ) set up

in Vienna and Graz • „Prof. Ferdinand Por-

sche Award“ of the Technical University,

Vienna, granted for the first time – this best

endowed automobile construction award in

the world is handed out every 2 years to

„inventors“ of important technological

innovations

1978 The Rabbit is born • Golf emerges for

the first time as market leader • Mechanical

engineering and tool making company, Por-

sche Maschinen- und Werkzeugbau GmbH,

incorporated • Establishments in Klagen-

furt, Salzburg-Samergasse, Villach, Wiener

Neustadt and Zell am See expanded • Majo-

rity of shares in Sonauto S.A., Paris, taken

over

1979 Golf convertible launched • Iltis, an

off-road vehicle, added to model line-up •

Newly built Porsche Innsbruck facility ope-

ned • Zimmer Co. acquired • An auto express

service and used car outlet opened in the

Sterneckstrasse in Salzburg • ALZ represen-

tative office opened in Innsbruck • Golf mar-

ket share tops 10% for the first time

1980 VW Jetta and Passat II added to

model range • Porsche Wörgl and Autohan-

dels GmbH Graz opened • Smoliner & Krat-

ky acquired • ALZ representative offices in

Linz and Klagenfurt

1981 Audi Quattro celebrates sensational

premiere on rallye circuit • Audi 100, with

revolutionary aerodynamic design

1982 VW Santana added to product range

• Audi 80 with quattro drive • Baumgartner

& Baumgartner Wiener Neudorf brought

into the Group • VOWA Innsbruck and Hall

taken over • Porsche España S.A. established

as Spanish car importer

1983 VW, Audi and Porsche: Group models

delivered top 1,000,000 • Golf II launched

successfully • AVEG Group restructured •

Porsche Systems Engineering (CH) establis-

hed

1984 All Audis available with quattro drive

• Audi 90 added to the model range • Part

sales centre opened in Wals, Salzburg (ATS

300 million investment) • Allmobil Auto-

handels Ges.m.b.H. established to import

SEAT cars

1985 Complete range of catalytic conver-

ters available • Jetta Cat succeeds in market •

Product range expanded by Golf syncro •

Seat Malaga launched

1986 Audi 80 with new aerodynamics

added to sales line-up

1987 Catalytic converters become manda-

tory for Austria • Last VW Beetle registered in

Austria • Porsche Bank AG and Porsche Versi-

cherungs AG established • Porsche Linz ope-

ned

1988 Audi V8 and Corrado added to line-up

• Passat III added to model range • Autohaus

Union opened • Construction of Porschehof

IV begun • Stake in Taylorix Stuttgart acqui-

red • PRZ Salzburg integrated into Porsche

Group • Porsche Holding transformed into

Porsche Holding OHG

1989 Group restructured • Porsche-Inter

Auto Oberlaa opened • Stake acquired in the

Zipperle company • InterRent transformed

into ARAC • Launch of environmental diesel

versions of Golf and Jetta

1990 New car outlets built in Saalfelden,

Hallein, Hohenems and Oberpullendorf •

Porschehof IV opened • Launches of new

Polo and new delivery van • Environmental

award for „Eco“ Golf • Porsche Hungaria

established • Majority stake acquired in

Joham • Soft-Warehouse established • Exter-

na relocated to Bergheim

1991 Porsche Hungaria starts sales • Sales

centre for Porsche-Inter Auto Innsbruck and

Externa Innsbruck opened • New Audi 100

presented at the Hofburg in Vienna • Market

launch of SEAT Toledo • Porsche Leibnitz

newly opened • Launch of Audi convertible •

ARAC concludes licensing agreement with

EuroDollar • Austrian launches of Golf III,

Audi 80 and Porsche 968 • Autohaus Mayer

and Autohaus Gerstinger taken over

1992 Intercar founded to act as Skoda

importer • Introduction of VW Vento • Mer-

ger of Porsche Computer Services and Ex-

terna • Euro-Elan project started • Externa

Linz and Externa Graz commence business

operations • Autohaus Retzer taken over •

Externa largest IBM PC dealer in Austria •

ARAC launches Hungarian operations • PPH

founds JIPO subsidiary in Czechia • Launch

of Porsche-Inter Auto Bratislava • Porsche-

Inter Auto Praha begins sales operations •

Sonauto subsidiary Chrysler CSFR establis-

hed • Scrap-car recycling: VW Importer and

shredders plan pilot facility • New dealership

opened in Budapest

1993 Porsche Hungaria: Audi showroom in

Budapest opened • Special model Golf con-

vertible Classic • Golf syncro and Golf 16V in

Austria • Zimmer Hungaria founded • Por-

sche Speedster in Austria • Foundation of

Externa Brno, Bratislava and Prague • Por-

sche Ljubljana established, moving into TAS

offices • PIA Pest established • PIA Simme-

ring newly built • New Seat Ibiza in Austria •

Porsche Ljubljana becomes importer for

Slovenia • Vento Europe added to the model

line-up • Used car campaign „Weltauto“

launched • Porsche Hungaria: new spare

parts sales centre opened • Zipperle: majori-

ty stake acquired by Magna

1994 Diesel engine boom: VW brings TDI •

Porsche Slovakia Importer moves into new

premises • Externa Budpest founded • Seat

Cordoba presented • Skoda Felicia launched

• Porsche Bank Hungaria chartered • Por-

sche 911 convertible presented • Golf Variant

VAN added to the model range • Audi Avant

RS2 launched • Porsche Holding restructu-

C h r o n i c l e .

1947 Porsche Konstruktionen Ges.m.b.H.

founded in Gmünd, Carinthia. • Develop-

ment of the Formula I racing car „Cisitalia” •

Development of finger bars for harvesters,

winches, turbines for generating electricity •

Workshop in Zell am See for repairing the

VW jeeps „Kübelwagen“

1948 First racing car bearing the name

Porsche built: Porsche 356

1949 Porsche Konstruktionen Ges.m.b.H.

moved to the Alpenstrasse in Salzburg •

World premiere of the Porsche 356 at the

Geneva Motorshow • Austrian importer’s

contract for VW signed • Porsche 356 „Nr. 1“

wins the first car race in Innsbruck (driver:

Herbert Kaes) • First VW Beetles delivered to

customers • Production of Porsche 356 con-

vertible in Salzburg • Ferry Porsche prepares

for establishing an own sports car produc-

tion in Stuttgart

1950 Importation of first Beetle conver-

tibles • Porsche 356 offered for sale • Central

spare parts warehouse set up in Salzburg •

Sports car manufacturing plant founded in

Stuttgart • First Porsche 356 leaves the Stutt-

gart plant

1951 Porsche 356 produced in Austria wins

at Le Mans – first Porsche victory in its class •

Professor Ferdinand Porsche dies in Stutt-

gart and is laid to rest in Zell am See

1952 New sales outlet in Franz-Josef Stras-

se, Salzburg • Dr. Anton Piëch dies, Louise

Piëch takes over the company in Salzburg •

Porsche Salzburg and Porsche Stuttgart

jointly owned by Louise Porsche-Piëch and

her brother Ferry Porsche

1953 VW insurance company founded

1954 VW becomes most widely sold car in

Austria • 10,000th VW imported to Austria

1955 Porsche Konstruktionen KG founded

1956 Customer service building and

repairshop (Porschehof I) built in Karl-

Wurmb-Strasse, opposite the Salzburg Cen-

tral Train Station

1957 Volkswagen becomes market leader

in Austria and has kept this position ever

since

1959 Zell am See holiday home (later

Hotel Porschehof in Schüttdorf) opened •

Porsche Konstruktionen KG, Wiener Neu-

stadt, starts operating

1960 Annual VW Beetle sales top 20,000

units for the first time • VW 1600 imported as

the third model, joining the Beetle and the

VW van

1961 VW car rental company established •

Porschehof II built in Fanny-von-Lehnert-

Strasse

1962 Porsche 356 succeeded by Porsche 911

1963 Porsche Zell am See and the branch

in Saalfelden opened • The „Bayrischer Hof“

hotel acquired in Salzburg

1964 Dealership established in Hallein •

Alpenstrasse workshop expanded • New

motor sport activities: Formula V racing cars

from Salzburg

1965 Beetle wins the Danube Rallye • VW

leasing system introduced • Dealership esta-

blished in Kapfenberg

1967 Porsche apartment house built in

Salzburg • Central spare parts warehouse

opened in Wiener Neustadt • Workshop in

Sterneckstrasse, Salzburg, built • Sports car

division with Formula V and Rallye Beetle

established • Jochen Rindt wins on the Baha-

mas in a Salzburg Formula V

1968 VW 411 added to the model range •

Porsche businesses opened in Klagenfurt,

Villach and Wolfsberg

1970 VW Porsche 914 launched

1971 VW K70 added to the model range •

Self-service restaurant on the Areitalm in

Zell am See • Car rental service transformed

to „interRent“ • New Audi general import

company established together with Audi

Ingolstadt

1972 500,000 cars imported so far • Audi

80 added to model range • Dealerships ope-

ned in Wien/Liesing and Dornbirn • Acces-

sories wholesaler Auto Z founded

1973 Start of the new VW model genera-

tion: Passat added to the range • Porsche

Graz opened • A Salzburg Rallye Beetle wins

the European championship on Elba (driver:

Warmbold)

1974 Scirocco and Golf introduced in Aus-

tria • Porsche Holding established • VW and

Audi importing businesses merged to create

Porsche Austria Ges.m.b.H. & Co • Distribu-

tion system consolidated • Porschehof III

built

1975 Stocks of VWs and Audis top 500,000

for the first time • Polo added to model line-

up • The VW 412 and K70 models discontinu-

ed • Auto Concord opened in Vienna • Auto

Danner GmbH acquired and incorporated

into Porsche Leibnitz • PIA Wien/Simmering

opened • Special stamp „100th birthday of

Prof. Ferdinand Porsche“ issued

1976 Porsche 924 introduced • Lease of

Upper Austrian AVEG Group with bases in

Linz, Wels, Steyr and Kirchdorf • Recreation

company Freizeit 2000 established (transfor-

mation of the A. Zierler KG, in which an inte-

rest had been held since 1973)

1977 VW Beetle imported from Mexico •

First 5-cylinder engine in Audi 100 • Sales

boom due to impending increase in value

added tax • Derby added to the model range

• Retail car dealerships consolidated to crea-

te Porsche Inter Auto • Allmobil Fahrzeug-

C h r o n i c l e .

red • PIA Kufstein opened, Seat Wiener Neu-

stadt opened • PIA Bratislava expanded •

Audi A8 and Audi A6 launched • Seat Toledo

16V • Seat Linz opened • Porsche Insurance

Agency starts operating in Hungary • Auto Z

expands to Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia •

Porsche Tiptronic introduced to market •

90,000 people attend Pink Floyd presented

by Volkswagen in Wr. Neustadt • Porsche

Carrera 4 presented • New Polo added to the

model line-up • Porsche Hungaria: official

opening of new Porschehof and PIA Pest •

New Audi A4 comes out • VW: VR6 syncro

launched

1995 Audi A4 TDI and Audi A4 1.8 Turbo

new in Austria • Golf Rabbit in GTI look •

Porsche 911 Turbo and Carrera 4S presented

on the Salzburgring • VOWA Innsbruck ope-

ned • Externa split into system development

and IT • Turning the first sod for new dea-

lership and Porschehof (digging up a Beetle)

• Retail dealership Porsche Ljubljana opened

• Rolling Stones in Zeltweg presented by VW

• Golf TDI convertible and Audi TDI conver-

tible join the model range • SDI engine for

Golf and Vento • Treasury Division POFIN in

Freilassing • Great ARBÖ Automobile Award

goes to Audi A4 • Seat bases: AVEG Linz,

VOWA Innsbruck, PIA Wien-Liesing, Seat

Samergasse • Skoda Felicia estate car pre-

sented • Start to build Porsche Slovenia

retail dealership and importer • New Seat

Toledo and Seat Inca

1996 Externa Kfz (passenger cars) transfor-

med to Porsche Informatik • Skoda Pickup

comes to Austria • VW bus/van T4 comes to

Austria • Special model Felicia Bully on the

occasion of Icehockey WC in Vienna •

500,000th Golf in Austria • Polo Classic avai-

lable • Porsche Boxster in Austria • New VW

Passat • New Audi A3 • PPH and JIPO sold •

Exchange of shares: Sonauto 100% Porsche

Holding, Porsche España 100% Porsche AG,

Stuttgart • Seat Alhambra launched • New

VW LT programme • Audi A3 wins the Great

Austrian Automobile Award of ARBÖ •

Impending „NOVA“ tax rise (tax based on

standard fuel consumption) causes sales

boom • TDI Grand Prix: lowest consumption

for Audi A4 at 2.0 l • Training Centre „Ost“

opened in Wien-Liesing • Bon Jovi at Wiener

Neustadt and Wels presented by Volkswa-

gen

1997 Pilot start of CROSS dealer system •

Skoda Octavia launched • New Porsche 911 •

New Audi A6 • New Passat estate car • New

Golf • New Seat Arosa • Skoda Munich East

and West start operating • 2,000,000 cars sold

by Porsche in Austria • New management

structure Porsche Holding • Porsche turns

50, 50 additional apprentices admitted •

Audi A8 TDI launched • PIA St. Pölten ope-

ned • New distribution network, separation

of brands completed • World premiere: Golf

with TDI engine takes part in Semperit Ral-

lye for the first time • New part of PIA Prague

opened • Last Night Party at the old Porsche-

hof

1998 Opening ceremony of new Porsche-

hof and dealership • Openings of Porsche

Bratislava II, Porsche Maribor, Porsche

Ljubljana, AVEG Linz-Leonding • Porsche

Wels (former AVEG) goes purely VW, Porsche

Wels Thalheim (former Retzer) becomes

exclusive Audi Centre • New Golf convertible

• Quickservice starts as pilot project • Audi

A6 estate car launched • Porsche 911 conver-

tible launched • Prof. Ferry Porsche dies at

the age of 88 in Zell am See • Passat TDI with

monobloc injection technology • New Golf

4motion • Wholesale and retail business

starts in Romania • Externa sold to debis •

Audi TT launched • Openings of Porsche

Wien-Donaustadt, Porsche Graz-Liebenau, •

Porsche Slovenia and Porsche Ljubljana,

Porsche Slovakia and Porsche Bratislava II •

VW Lupo, VW Bora launched • 3 l Lupo wins

the ARBÖ Environment Award • Group’s

market share rises from 29.1% to 31.5%

1999 New VW Beetle launched • Louise

Piëch dies aged 94 in Zell am See • New Audi

A4 • Porsche Klagenfurt opened • Porsche

Holding holds interests in PGA, a French

automobile retail chain • New Seat Toledo •

Audi TT quattro and Roadster • Porsche Hol-

ding starts joint venture in Croatia as impor-

ter of Skoda • New Golf and Bora estate cars •

Porsche top model 911 GT 3 • First 4-wheel

model of Skoda: Octavia 4x4 • 3 l Lupo laun-

ched • New Seat Ibiza and Cordoba • Porsche

Boxster S • Skoda Fabia added to the model

range • Great Automobile Award of ARBÖ

won by Audi TT • New VW Polo • Internatio-

nal expert jury elects Prof. Ferdinand Por-

sche „Automobile Designer of the Century“,

and his grandson Ferdinand Piëch „Automo-

bile Manager of the Century“

2000 Joint Venture in Croatia is extended to

the brands VW, Audi and Seat • PZ-Auto

takes over Porsche imports to Croatia • New:

Audi A2 and allroad quattro • New Seat Leon

• Special model Golf Rabbit and almost all

VW models equipped with ESP as standard •

Exclusive Cars takes over Bentley and Rolls

Royce distribution in Vienna • Porsche

Wien-Hitzing opened, former „Gerstinger“

turned into Porsche Wien-Pragerstrasse •

New Seat Alhambra • Seat Cordoba WRC

wins the National Rallye Championship •

Porsche M5 opened in Budapest • 50 shilling

coin: „125 years Prof. Ferdinand Porsche, 100

years Lohner Porsche“

2001 PGA acquires an interest in the Dutch

car dealership chain Nefkens • Skoda ope-

ned in Salzburg • New VW Centre at Asten •

A2 1,2 TDI, Audi’s 3 l model presented • VW

enters the top segment: Passat W8 • Prag

Proscz opened • Porsche launches the GT2,

the fastet 911 • Skoda among the five best

selling brands in Austria • Seat Alhambra

used as „Taxi Orange“ in the TV series of the

same name • Exclusive Cars Vienna takes up

direct selling of Lamborghini • New exclusi-

ve dealership for Seat and Audi in Graz • Por-

sche Budweis opened • Audi R8 wins at Le

Mans with FSI technology • Fourth Polo

generation presented • Skoda Zagreb ope-

ned • Warranty period for VW, Audi, Skoda

and Seat extended to 24 months • 100,000

Skoda models sold in Austria since 1992 • PIA

D i e C h r o n i k .

C h r o n i c l e . C h r o n i c l e .

acquires 4 premises in Munich for the distri-

bution of Skoda and Seat • New Seat Arosa

2002 PGA buys the French retail chain

CICA • A&S opens new locations in Munich •

New Ibiza boosts sales at Seat • New Mana-

gement Board of 3 for Porsche Holding • PIA

founds Apprentice College • VW Phaeton

presented in Geneva • Construction of retail

dealership in Bucarest started • VW presents

the world’s first 1 litre car • New Porsche

Boxster presented • Considerable recession

of the market • VW training for car sales-

manship certified by the Chamber of Com-

merce • Golf supersedes the Beetle as the

world’s most produced car • Audi conver-

tible launched • Regulations for tax-saving

trucks reintroduced • FSI, the new petrol

direct injection, started • The Golf R 32 intro-

duced • New No Exemption Regulation

takes effect • World premiere of the new Audi

A8 • Porsche Cayenne waiting to be laun-

ched

2003 Porsche Slovenija takes over Skoda

imports • Relaunch of Seat Córdoba • VW

gains new market segments with the Touran,

the New Beetle Cabriolet and the Touareg •

Autohaus Strolz in Bregenz becomes a PIA

enterprise • World premiere of Porsche GT in

Geneva • Audi launches the new A3 • 5th

generation of the VW Transporter and the

new Multivan introduced • Parts Center

Budapest opened • Production of VW Beetle

phased out after 68 years • 5th Golf generati-

on celebrates its world premiere at the IAA •

Worldwide Dealers’ Convention for the new

Golf with 8,000 participants takes place in

Carinthia • Launch of Lamborghini Gallardo

• Block Exemption Regulation (BER) beco-

mes effective as from October 1, 2003 • Pro-

fessor Ferdinand Porsche Award goes to Uwe

Borchers, designer of the comfort seat, of

Johnson Controls • Extension of Parts Center

Salzburg opened • First ranks of Autorevue

Award for Audi A3, A4 and A8, as well as for

VW Polo and Sharan • Smoliner Vienna

opens Audi and Seat Center • New Golf intro-

duced on the market • Record sales for Por-

sche due to the Cayenne • After three decli-

ning years overall passenger car market

picking up again

2004 Porsche SCG takes over import of VW,

VW light commercial vehicles, Audi, Seat

and Porsche for Serbia/Montenegro • Por-

sche Romania invests EUR 25 million in new

company HQ in Bucharest • Porsche takes

up import of VW and VW light commercial

vehicles with new subsidiary in Bulgaria •

PIA becomes active in Italy and takes over

the automobile company Meroi with three

locations in Friuli • New Porsche showrooms

opened at Porsche Wien Liesing and Inns-

bruck Mitterweg • Four PIA branches open

new Audi hangars: Leibnitz, Oberwart,

Wolfsberg and St. Johann • PIA Croatia

opens Porsche Zagreb Jankomir • Porsche

Bank Romania established • Weltauto starts

in Croatia and Romania • 100 years Louise

Piëch: big birthday party in honour of the

company’s founder • First VW models equip-

ped with series diesel particle filters: Passat

2.0 I TDI PD, Phaeton and Touareg 3.0 I TDI

V6 • Austrian premiere of the new Golf

4MOTION • A myth is back: the new Golf GTI

• World premiere of Golf Plus in Bologna •

Gold for Golf: ARBÖ Award goes to the Golf

for the 3rd time • International press presen-

tation of Audi A8 W12 • Model fireworks at

Audi: new A6, A3 Sportback and the new A4 •

Feature shared by the new Audi generation:

the single frame grille • Altea and Toledo

usher in new design era at Seat • New gene-

ration of Skoda Octavia and Octavia station

car • Successful introduction of the new VW

Caddy • Award for Transporter T5: “Van of

the Year 2004” • New at Porsche: 911 Carrera,

911 Carrera S, 911 Turbo S; Boxster and Box-

ster S • Bentley introduces Continental and

Arnage T • New Lamborghini Murciélago

Roadster

2005 Offensive at VW: Golf Plus, Passat,

Polo, Fox, Jetta, New Beetle, Passat Variant •

Audi gains strongest in the Austrian automo-

bile market • VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda first

brands to offer solution for a backfit particle

filter in Austria • Skoda introduces new Octa-

via station car • Porsche brings out new 911

and new 911 convertible and presents Caym-

an • A&S Munich buys the company Bauer,

thus acquiring additional dealers in Greater

Munich • New four-heads management of

Porsche Holding and structuring of VW

world and multi brand world • PGA buys

BMW dealer in Warsaw • 25th anniversary of

quattro • Model change Altea and Toledo •

Prof. Ferdinand Porsche Award goes to deve-

loper of synthetic fuels • Porsche Holding

starts up in China opening their first sho-

wroom at Hangzhou • Porsche Holding

founds new subsidiary in Albania and shows

the brands Audi and Seat at Porsche Tirana

2006 • Porsche Bank and Porsche Informa-

tik celebrate 40th anniversary • Eurocar Italia

buys VW dealers located in Triest and Gori-

zia • Polo fever at VW: CrossPolo, Polo Blue-

Motion, Polo GTI • New construction and

reconstruction of PIA branches in Zell am

See, Steyr, Leibnitz and Wolfsberg, Maribor,

Rijeka, Bratislava, Olomouc, Landsberg, Pra-

gue, Plzen and Budweis • Porsche Hungaria

reports new record sales of almost 44,000

vehicles • VW and Skoda make up police car

fleet und Porsche Bank takes care of entire

fleet management • Driving fun with Audi

S3, S6 and S8 • Premiere of VW Eos • Restored

in new splendour: Porsche Alpenstraße ope-

ned • Porsche Tirana gets new Skoda show-

room • PIA plans five new Skoda dealerships

in Czech Republic • Glamorous market entry

for R8, RS 4 Avant and Cabrio, TT Coupé and

Roadster • VW Multivan once more best van

of the year •Historical victory in Le Mans

with Audi R10 TDI • Skoda premieres: Octa-

via Scout, Octavia Laurin & Klement and

Roomster • SEAT’s ‚Formula Racing’ con-

cepts: Altea FR and León FR • Porsche Bucu-

resti Vest I opens VW and Skoda showrooms

• Porsche Graz Kärntnerstraße celebrates the

opening of Austria’s largest showroom •

Model fireworks à la Porsche 911: GT3, GT3

RS, Turbo and Targa • VW commercial

vehicles have had the second best year in

their history in Austria with a market share of

D i e C h r o n i k .

C h r o n i c l e . C h r o n i c l e .

Porsche showroom,

Porsche Wien Liesing

Seat showroom,

Smoliner Wien

Skoda showroom,

Porsche Salzburg

Audi showroom,

Porsche Leibnitz

Parts Center Budapest,

Porsche Hungaria

VW showroom,

Porsche Zagreb Jankomir

28.2% (incl. minibuses) • LT successor Craf-

ter launched • New showrooms for Audi and

Skoda at Porsche Kufstein, Innsbruck-

Mitterweg and Deutschlandsberg • PGA

buys two new car dealer groups • Eurocar

Trieste opens Audi showroom • Skoda:

Motor of the 2006 Cycling WC in Salzburg

and main sponsor of the Tour de France •

New location in Serbia: Porsche Beograd Ada

• 1001 HP celebrate a premiere on Austrian

roads: Bugatti Veyron • Biggest automobile

centre in Dalmatia: Porsche Split inaugurated

2007 • Porsche Österreich celebrates its 60

years anniversary • Splendid annual balan-

ce for the Porsche Bank Group with 250,000

contracts • „Professor Ferdinand Porsche

Preis 2007“of the TU Vienna awarded to

Dipl.Ing. Hans-Michael Güther, who devel-

oped the carbon-ceramics brake • PGA buys

car dealer group SAS Carlet in Central Fran-

ce • Volkswagen celebrates 25 million Golf

cars • Two new models in SEAT’s B segment

heralded for 2009 • Audi R8 enters the auto-

mobile stage • New Audi Hangar of Porsche

Sofia Zapad opened • The Audi A5 and S5

models celebrate a glamorous launch •

100.000th Audi A4 delivered in Austria • Audi

takes part in the Wörthersee Tour for the

first time • Audi Tradition celebrates jubilee

of its predecessor brand: 100 Years DKW •

A&S Landsberg opens new VW Piazza • 75th

anniversary of Four Rings: In 1932 the

brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer

merged • Audi heralds the world’s cleanest

diesel to be produced in series as from mid

2008 • SEAT presents first 4x4 model the

Altea Freetrack • The New Small Family pre-

sents itself: Up!, Space Up! and Space Up!

Blue • Audi secures second TDI victory in

the Le-Mans 24-hour race • A&S moves to

new premises in Munich • Porsche St.

Johann celebrates 20th anniversary • Por-

sche Inter Auto buys Autohaus Stipschitz •

New generation of best selling Skoda model

version: the Fabia station car • 911 GT2 with

530 HP most powerful 11 model so far •

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles celebra-

tes „60 years with Bulli“ • First victory for

the SEAT Leon WTCC with TDI engine •

Augsburg group Schwaba joins A&S Munich

• First details concerning the Cayenne

Hybrid: fuel consumption to be reduced by

some 25% • Presentation of the new Tiguan •

25 years of Caddy at Volkswagen • Eurocar

Trieste opens new VW showroom • Tribute

to a Porsche racing sport classic of the six-

ties: Boxster RS 60 Spyder • Porsche Maribor

opened • New VW dealer opened in Lands-

berg • Porsche Holding reaches new busin-

ess year record with a turnover of Euro 11.83

billion • New location for Porsche Zell am

See • Porsche Macedonia takes over Skoda

imports • Porsche Leibnitz opens new VW

Piazza • Porsche Part Center Budapest gets

bigger by doubling its capacity • 30 years of

Golf being number 1 in model ranking • Por-

sche Informatik introduces CROSS through-

out Eurocar Italia • Spare Parts System – SPS

- introduced in Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria and

Macedonia • SAP starts at Porsche Slovenija

and Porsche Bank Hungary • Weltauto starts

in Italy and Slovenija • Europcar is number

1 in Austria • New Ecologisation Act passed •

Automobile year 2007 closes at 30% market

share for the brands of the Volkswagen

Group • Golden steering wheel for VW Tigu-

an, Audi A4 and Skoda Fabia • Bentley Con-

tinental GT Speed: With 610 HP the fastest

Bentley ever built in serial production

2008 • 60 years of Porsche sports cars •

New Skoda dealership for Porsche Ceske

Budejovice • First four-door VW Coupé:

Passat CC • New: Porsche Cayenne Turbo S,

Boxster and Cayman • Skoda Fabia Combi ,

Fabia Combi GreenLine and Superb laun-

ched to the Austrian market • Porsche Hol-

ding expands business with China • New:

Seat Ibiza as SportCoupé and Cupra •

Comeback of a sports car legend: VW

Scirocco • New: A3, S3 Sportback, A4, A5 and

S5 • 20th anniversary of VW California • TVZ

Salzburg takes over parts supply for all

brands in Croatia • “Blue” campaign with

Sharan, Touran, Caddy box van und Caddy

station car as TDI BlueMotion, as well as

Passat BlueTDI • Dynamic driving pleasure:

Audi Q5 • Entire Skoda model line-up with

Electronic Stability Program – ESP – as stan-

dard equipment • 911-generation change

for Carrera, Carrera 4 Targa and Targa 4S •

Seat Altea Freetrack 4WD • Volkswagen

Junior Masters Soccer Tournament and

international finals of the European Junior

Masters in Salzburg • Porsche Holding

starts importing into the Ukraine • Little

brother of the T5: VW Caddy MaxiVan •

Hightech work of art: Audi RS 6 • Premiere

at Porsche: Cayenne equipped with Diesel

engine • Friends of the environment: Seat

Ibiza Ecomotive, León Ecomotive, Alham-

bra Ecomotive • Porsche Beograd Sever

opened • New Audi terminal und Porsche

showroom for AVEG Linz • Skoda Fabia

Super 2000 links up with 100 years of motor-

sport history • Turnover and sales all-time

high for Porsche Holding (12.8 bn. Euro,

approx. 600,000 cars) • Seat’s new saloon is

named Exeo • Skoda Octavia - revival of a

bestseller • New location for Porsche Steyr •

Porsche 356 celebrates its 60th anniversary

• Marked sportiness: TT TDI, TTS and S4 •

Porsche Holding MD Christian Klingler

appointed new CEO of Sales at Volkswagen.

Management Board consists of three mem-

bers: W.D. Hellmaier, Kurt Loidl and Hans-

Peter Schützinger • The world’s most

powerful Diesel-SUV: Audi Q7 V12 TDI

quattro • More highly rated than ever: the

new Golf, Golf GTI, Golf Plus • Allrounder:

the new VW TransVan • PIA expands locati-

on in Pilsen by one new Skoda dealership •

New member of the Porsche family: the

four-door Panamera • Audi A3 convertible

and A5 / S5 convertible – the pleasure of dri-

ving with the top open • Golden Steering

Wheel and Great Austrian Automobile

Award for Skoda Superb • VW Phaeton new

• Opening celebration at Porsche Bratislava

• Audi A6: Winner with new strengths • Por-

sche Centre in Ningbo, China, opened • PIA

grows by purchasing Autohaus Zankl in St.

Pölten • Breathtaking: Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Grand Sport, Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560

and LP560-4, Bentley Continental Flying

Spur Speed, Arnage Final Series and Azure

France

Austria

Hungary

Slovakia

Czech Republic

Slovenia

Romania

Germany4)

Croatia

Neatherlands

Serbia

Italy3)

Ukraine

Bulgaria

Poland1)

Albania

3)Friaul Julisch Venetien

4)Bayern

Macedonia

China

Greece

Montenegro

Kosovo

4)Warschau

u. a.

S u r v e y o f d e a l e r s h i p s .

Automobile-Wholesale Automobile-Retail

Austria

Hungary

Serbia

Slovenia

Romania

Croatia1)

T h e S t r u c t u r e .

NETHERLANDS

GERMANY

FRANCE

CZECH REPUBLIC

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

BULGARIA

SERBIA

KOSOVO

MAZEDONIA

MONTE-NEGRO

SLOVENIA

ITALY

AUSTRIA

CROATIA

ALBANIAGREECE

POLAND

Porsche AustriaImporter of VW, Audi

AllmobilImporter of Seat

Intercar AustriaImporter of Skoda

Porsche Konstruktionen KGParts distribution

Porsche Werbemittlung

Auto ZAccessories Wholesale

Importer sites abroad

Porsche Hungaria

Porsche Slovakia

Porsche Slovenia

Porsche Romania

P. Z. Auto, Croatia1)

Porsche Serbia

Porsche Montenegro

Porsche Kosovo

Porsche Bulgaria

Porsche Albania

Porsche Macedonia

Porsche Ukraine

Porsche Inter Auto,Austria

PorscheSports car distribution

Exclusive Cars, ViennaDirect selling of Bentley,

Bugatti and Lamborghini

Porsche Informatik

Retail trade abroad

Auto&Service PIA;Autohaus Group Schwaba

Germany

Porsche Inter Auto Hungary

Porsche Inter Auto Slovakia

Porsche Inter Auto Czech Republic

Porsche Inter Auto Slovenia

Porsche Inter Auto Croatia

Porsche Inter Auto Romania

Eurocar, Italy

Porsche Inter Auto Ukraine

Retail trade, China

Automobile trade with the marques of other manufacturer

PGA Motors, FrancePGA Motors, Poland

PGA Netherland, NetherlandsPGA Ellada, Greece

Financial Services

Porsche Bank

Porsche Insurance

ARAC/Europcar Austria

Schmittenhöhebahn AG

Porsche Financegroup HungaryARAC/Europcar Hungary

Volkswagen Financne Sluzby *Slovakia

Porsche Financegroup Romania

Porsche Financegroup Serbia

Porsche Financegroup Montenegro

Porsche Financegroup Bulgaria

Porsche Financegroup Slovenia

Porsche Financegroup Croatia

Porsche Financegroup Ukraine

Brands of Volkswagen Group and Porsche

Mag. W. D. Hellmaier (Speaker) Mag. Kurt Loidl Dr. Hans-Peter Schützinger

Automobile Wholesale Automobile Retail

Multi-Brands

Automobile trade with the brands of other manufacturer &

Financial Services

Porsche Holding

1)Joint Venture1)Joint Venture

CHINA

Slovakia

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Ukraine

Albania

Macedonia

Montenegro

Kosovo

1)Joint Venture

Automobile-Direct sales

Austria

05/0699/00 00/01 01/02

20.000

18.000

16.000

14.000

12.000

10.000

8.000

6.000

4.000

2.000

002/03 03/04 04/05

Year Total Domestic Abroad

99/00 8.681 4.530 4.151

00/01 10.139 4.757 5.382

01/02 10.969 4.869 6.100

02/03 13.463 5.002 8.461

03/04 14.067 5.123 8.944

04/05 14.670 5.215 9.455

05/06 17.077 5.225 11.852

06/07 18.846 5.238 13.608

07/08 19.780 5.279 14.501

08/09 20.634 5.374 15.28706/07 07/08 08/09

Year Total Domestic Abroad

99/00 202.122 108.728 93.394

00/01 231.217 114.242 116.975

01/02 239.763 104.021 135.742

02/03 318.842 127.297 191.545

03/04 324.563 134.334 190.229

04/05 344.325 131.964 212.361

05/06 416.131 146.880 269.251

06/07 436.979 143.788 293.191

07/08 470.421 141.058 329.363

08/09 473.512 142.584 330.92899/00 00/01 01/02

500.000

450.000

400.000

350.000

300.000

250.000

200.000

150.000

100.000

50.000

002/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09

Year Total Domestic Abroad

99/00 4,69 3,26 1,43

00/01 5,25 3,51 1,74

01/02 6,30 3,50 2,80

02/03 7,30 3,40 3,90

03/04 7,90 3,80 4,10

04/05 8,91 3,95 4,96

05/06 10,72 4,25 6,47

06/07 11,83 4,46 7,37

07/08 12,84 4,43 8,41

08/09 13,65 4,57 9,0804/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/0999/00 00/01 01/02

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

02/03 03/04

PORSCHEholding

Vogelweiderstraße 75

5020 Salzburg

Austria

Tel. 0043/662/4681-0

www.porsche-holding.com

Published by: Porsche Holding, Public relations, 9th Edition August 2009

F a c t s a n d F i g u r e s .

New Car Sales, Fy 99/00 – 08/09

New Car Sales, Fy 99/00 – 08/09

Total Domestic Abroad

Total Domestic Abroad

Total Domestic Abroad

Development of Turnover Porsche Holding, Fy 99/00 – 08/09 (in billion EUR)