***** Wolfgang Dürheimer on the future of Porsche *****
Porsche's R&D boss, Wolfgang Dürheimer, talks four cylinder 911s, electric wheelchairs and why the next GT2 RS needs to have even more power...
"If I was one of our rivals right now, I think I might be quite worried..." -- Wolfgang Dürheimer
(January 2011)
For Porsche there has never been a more active, exciting and adventurous decade than that which is soon to end. At the turn of the century Porsche made just 911s and Boxsters. Ten years on these have been joined by Caymans, Cayennes and Panameras, an expansion that has brought the shield of Stuttgart to customers who might never have thought of Porsche ownership before, or dismissed it as an impossible, impractical dream. But not only has Porsche's portfolio been broadened, so too has it found new depth: if you want to find a rare breed, look for authoritative figures who don't believe that the GT3, GT3 RS and GT2 RS are among the finest, most focused and purest Porsches in the company's history.
Of course, much of the credit for the vision must go to Wendelin Wiedeking, Porsche's mercurial former head whose failed takeover of VW cost him his job and Porsche its independence; but someone had to take that vision and make it happen and it is that man who's now sitting in front of me: Wolfgang Dürheimer.
Dürheimer joined Porsche from BMW in 1999 and, two years later, was appointed head of R&D, a position he retains to this day. It's been his job these last ten years to make the vision a reality. But like all great engineers he has no great interest in looking back, wallowing in the nostalgia of all he has achieved in the past: his focus is only forward. He knows Porsche's biggest challenges lie ahead, as the company adapts itself to the brave, new and environmentally aware age we are entering. And it seems there is little or nothing he is not prepared to contemplate in his efforts to prepare Porsche for that future.
We start with the obvious enquiry about the 918 Spyder, the car born to showcase Porsche's unique abilities to blend sporting and environmental considerations. "The project is proceeding well," he says, "and you can tell how excited Porsche is about it by the number of my engineers applying to be part of it. Right now the car is under full design and the final configuration of the technical data will be determined by the end of the year." As of this moment just one prototype exists.
But it is when the conversation progresses to how hybrid technology is going to affect Porsche's more familiar product that Dürheimer lights up, surprising not only by what he is saying, but the fact he's actually willing to say it at all.
Dürheimer has been known for many years to be a fan of hybrid technology and when I put to him the concern of many that it is only a bridging technology - a means to move from our fossil-burning present to our all electric future, he replies by simply saying, "ah yes, but how long is the bridge?" In his view its span is measurable in decades. "When we can put as much energy in a battery the size of my briefcase as you can in a fuel tank, then we will have reached the other side. What we have now are big improvements in battery technology and vast sums being spent by industry and governments, but not the breakthrough we need."
But there are hybrids and there are hybrids. Currently all hybrids on sale, including the Cayenne, use electricity generated by the car stored in old fashioned, heavy nickel metal hydride batteries which means that, for the vast bulk of the time, the car's main engine is running. But many believe that over time these will be replaced by so-called plug-in hybrids with lithium ion batteries. By contrast for most journeys these hybrids can operate using only electricity, keeping an internal combustion engine in reserve to help out either when battery life is depleted, when a sudden slug of power is needed or during high-speed cruising where electric motors are inefficient. The surprise is just how wedded to the plug-in concept Porsche is.
"We will introduce a plug-in version within the life-cycle of the current Panamera," insists Dürheimer, "and then we will have one on the next generation of Cayenne." Surely he can't be thinking of a plug-in 911 too? "We will also have plug-in option on the next generation of 911," he says as my eyes grow wider. The next generation of 911 is launched next year. So one day will there be plug-in versions of all Porsches? "Within five years," is his simple response.
For now, at least, all these hybrids will be optional and Dürheimer sees no case in the foreseeable future for leaving the internal combustion engine out of the equation. "But Porsches must be able to run on electricity alone. What's going to happen in all those cities whose mayors only allow cars with zero emissions to drive? A Porsche must be able to deliver its driver to his final destination, not just as far as the train station or bus stop."
I put it to him that he'd never been able to entertain Porsche's plug-in future without access to the facilities and resources of the Volkswagen group. "Not at all," he replies forcefully, "all this was decided and already under development when Porsche was independent." On the contrary, he says, it is VW and its subsidiaries that are benefitting from Porsche's technology, which will be made available to it in time. "There's an electric shelf," he says metaphorically. "And sure we've taken some components from it (the current Cayenne hybrid powertrain for instance) but we're putting a lot on to it as well."
Sadly it seems there is currently no possibility of a road-going application for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid's kinetic energy recovery system, though Dürheimer is seriously considering making it available to 911 Supercup racers.
But hybrid is not the end of Dürheimer's ambitions to retain Porsche's relevance in the fast moving period of change the car has seen since it was invented. It has been 15 years since a Porsche was last powered by a four cylinder engine and his response to my enquiry reveals with scalpel-sharp clarity the conflict between head and heart he feels:
"Can a modern Porsche have four cylinders?"
"Sure"
"Would you be happy to see one?"
"Not really."
But it's not going to stop him making one. "I'm a believer," he says, "and I like the flat-six very much. But if requirements for fuel consumption and CO2 go the way the ministry for environmental pollution is telling us, we have no choice but to discuss smaller displacements and fewer cylinders. I think the flat-six is the perfect configuration but we have to focus on performance and efficiency, and if the only way that can be achieved is with a smaller four-cylinder engine, that is the way we should go."
So far this all sounds theoretical, a road to go down if forced to. But, in fact, this is more than mere philosophising. Not only has a four-cylinder motor been built, it looks like it's going to be used, and not just in the back of a Boxster: "We have developed the technology, it will most likely come in the Boxster before the 911, but I will not rule out the 911." It's been over 40 years since the last four-pot 911 (the 912) slipped from the sales sheets. How soon will it appear? Dürheimer will not be drawn other than to say, "if the market demands it, soon." Which doesn't sound to me like an engine first fired-up on the bench some time last week.
So revolutionary is this picture of Porsche's future, I feel the need to retrace our steps to more familiar ground. So I ask Dürheimer what it is that makes a Porsche a Porsche and what elements will remain non-negotiable whatever the future holds?
"A Porsche must always feel like a Porsche. So if you put someone in the driver's seat, blindfolded, and only let them feel the pedals and steering position, they will know they're in a Porsche whether it is a Cayenne or a 918. I have rules, written down rules, that no-one is allowed to break without my permission."
"The ignition key has to be on the left, the rev-counter in the middle. The communications system can never be higher than the centre point of the rev-counter, so it is always seen as secondary. The angle of the steering wheel has to be at least 24 degrees and not more than 28 degrees because our drivers don't want to feel they're driving a truck..."
I'm sure he could go on but I'm getting the picture. What we've not established yet is whether Porsche's position as the maker of the world's most revered sporting cars is likely to change. So I ask him. "The future is faster," he says encouragingly, "with more performance and less consumption. I don't think there is a limit to how much performance you can provide, even if customers choose not to use it all. I think, for instance, we have shown with the 918 that electro-mobility and sportiness are not exclusive to each other. When we decided to show what we thought we could do in the future, we did not design an electric wheelchair."
"It is important that Porsche is seen to be leading and progressing, so if the current GT2 RS has 620hp which many will think is enough power, the next one should still have 625hp. You can buy a ten Euro watch and it will tell the time perfectly, but it is not the same as having a proper watch. It's the same with Porsche: any car will get you to your destination but not with the sound, feel and performance of a Porsche. And cars like the GT2 are important, even to customers who don't drive them, because they know that the same people who designed the GT2 were also involved in their Porsche. It creates a remarkable feelgood factor among our customers. Also, I don't think many other car manufacturers send their racing cars down the same production line as their road cars..."
But change is coming, even to the cars built by Porsche Motorsport, often seen as a brand within a brand. Ever since the first GT3 was built over a decade ago, these cars have been using the old racing engine, the indirect injection motor that can trace its origins back to the 911 GT1 Le Mans winner of 1998. But now that Porsche has an all-new direct injection flat-six in every other 911, Boxster and Cayman, the time has come for the old engine to take its final bow. "We don't need to replace it," concedes Dürheimer, "but we are business people and it doesn't make sense to have two entirely different generations of flat-six being built in house." He confirms the GT2 RS will be the last new Porsche fitted with the old engine. And while that will bring tears to the eyes of purists, I think we should at least wait to see what its replacement is like before lamenting its passing too much.
Finally, I ask whether, as an engineer, life under the Volkswagen wing has become easier or more difficult? Ever the straight talker, Dürheimer responds instantly: "More difficult." Excuse me? "We didn't exactly have spare time in our day before VW, but now my engine people are talking to its engine people, my suspension people to its suspension people and so on. It all takes time."
"But you have to look at it the other way, too, and ask what potential lies within this group and the huge combined engineering and technical resources it now has. If I was one of our rivals right now, I think I might be quite worried." And I think he might have a point...
As we closed for press Porsche announced that Wolfgang Dürheimer is to leave the company at the end of January 2011, to take up the position of Chairman of Bentley Motors and the CEO of Bugatti, as well as Motorsport Director for the Volkswagen Group. Dürheimer's replacement will be Wolfgang Hatz, Volkswagen's current Head of Engine and Transmission Development.
-- GT Purely Porsche article by Andrew Frankel --
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Wolfgang Dürheimer meets Chris Harris at the launch of the Porsche 918 Spyder...
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Happy New Year to all our friends at Rennteam and at Porsche!
Looking forward to a great year for Porsche in 2011...
Who , except soccer moms and Porsche wannabes, would ask for a 4 cylinder 911 ?
