Brought to you by Hugo Boss



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40468" width="60" height="34" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-600x338.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 60px) 100vw, 60px" /></figure></div>



HUGO BOSS and Porsche have partnered to bring an action-packed racing experience to the streets of the world’s major cities through Formula E. 







Formula E is known
for its fascinating races globally. The partnership will have a strong focus on
the future of motorsport. In doing so the races will host a unique series for
the development of electric vehicle technology, refining the design,
functionality and sustainability of electric cars while creating an exciting
global entertainment brand.



HUGO BOSS which boasts a long tradition of motorsports sponsorship – has been successfully engaged in the electric-powered racing series since the end of 2017. 



In
this collaboration, HUGO BOSS brings its 35 years of experience and expertise
in the motorsport arena to Formula E, as well as the dynamic style the fashion
brand is renowned for.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N4022.3065143FORBESAFRICA/B22341404.245922753;dc_trk_aid=442353181;dc_trk_cid=115471848;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40367" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption> Alejandro Agag (Formula E CEO) and Mark Langer (HUGO BOSS CEO)</figcaption></figure>



Mark
Langer HUGO BOSS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) says that though they have been
working successfully with motorsports over the years, he is exceptionally
pleased that as a fashion brand they are taking the cooperation to new heights.




“As a fashion brand, we are always looking at innovative approaches to design and sustainability. When we first encountered Formula E, we immediately saw its potential and we are pleased to be the first apparel partner to support this exciting new motorsport series,” he says. 



The fashion group is also the official outfitter to the entire Porsche motorsports team worldwide. 



The
fascination with perfect design and innovation, along with the Porshe and Hugo
Boss shared passion for racing, inspired Hugo Boss to produce the Porsche x
Boss capsule collection.



Its
standout features include premium leather and wool materials presented in the
Porsche and HUGO BOSS colors of silver, black and red. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Porsche x BOSS: introducing a new collaboration | BOSS" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fx-BDDA-FOM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption> Porsche x BOSS: introducing a new collaboration | BOSS </figcaption></figure>



Since
March, a range of menswear styles from the debut capsule collection is
available online and at selected&nbsp;BOSS stores.&nbsp;In South Africa the
first pieces of the capsule will come as a part of the FW 19 collection.



Alejandro
Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E says he is confident that the racers will put
their best foot forward on the racecourse. 



“This new partnership will see the team on the ground at each race dressed with a winning mindset and ready to deliver a spectacular event in cities across the world. As the first Official Apparel Partner of the series, we look forward to seeing the dynamic style and innovation on show that BOSS is renowned for,” says Agag.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N4022.3065143FORBESAFRICA/B22341404.245922753;dc_trk_aid=442353181;dc_trk_cid=115471848;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40376" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption> Hugo Boss x Porsche&nbsp;&nbsp; </figcaption></figure>



Oliver Blume CEO of Porsche AG says Formula E is an exceptionally attractive racing series for motorsport vehicles to develop. 



&#8220;It offers us the perfect environment to strategically evolve our vehicles in terms of efficiency and sustainability. We&#8217;re looking forward to being on board in the 2019/2020 season. In this context, the renowned fashion group HUGO BOSS represents the perfect partner to outfit our team.&#8221;

SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB

HUGO BOSS Partners With Porsche To Bring Action-Packed Racing Experience Through Formula E

A decade into the modern electric-car era one thing is clear: easy access to charging is vital to convince more drivers to make the leap to battery power from gasoline. So to ensure a smooth launch for its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lianeyvkoff/2019/01/24/with-better-than-expected-demand-porsche-plans-to-double-taycan-supply/#14b0240d332f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">much-anticipated Taycan</a>electric sports car Porsche is taking a page from Tesla&#8217;s playbook and ensuring customers have access a coast-to-coast network of fast-charge stations.



The German luxury company said it will offer three years of charging at hundreds of stations operated across the U.S. with Volkswagen-owned&nbsp;<a href="https://www.electrifyamerica.com/index" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Electrify America LLC</a>&nbsp;as part of Taycan&#8217;s purchase price, which starts at about $80,000. Additionally, fast-charge stations will be installed at all of its 191 dealerships across the country, while customers will also be able to purchase Porsche home-charging systems, the company said.



“Together, Electrify America and our Porsche dealer network will provide a national infrastructure for DC fast charging that frees future Taycan owners from range anxiety,&#8221; Klaus Zellmer, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said in a statement. &#8220;Porsche home charging technology will turn the customer’s garage into the equivalent of a personal gas station.”



Tesla has dominated the market for high-end electric vehicles since it began delivering $100,000 Roadsters a decade ago, but faces an onslaught of competition from new entries including the Taycan, Audi&#8217;s e-tron and Jaguar&#8217;s I-Pace, with more on the way from Cadillac and others. Porsche last week said it&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lianeyvkoff/2019/01/24/with-better-than-expected-demand-porsche-plans-to-double-taycan-supply/#14b0240d332f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">boosting production</a>&nbsp;plans for the Taycan owing to higher demand than initially planned.



Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2019/01/23/tesla-share-slump-deepens-on-news-its-cutting-back-on-model-s-x-production/#7955957461ee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysts suspect the competition</a>&nbsp;from those new premium EVs, priced between $60,000 and $90,000, were behind Tesla&#8217;s recent decision to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2019/01/09/so-long-75d-elon-musk-says-tesla-is-phasing-out-mid-range-model-s-and-x/#4205267848b5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discontinue its entry-level 75D versions of the Model S sedan and Model X crossover</a>&nbsp;to focus mainly on pricier versions selling for about $100,000 or more. Tesla&#8217;s core vehicle, the Model 3 sedan, starts at $44,000 and can cost more than $60,000 with all options.



Details of Porsche&#8217;s sleek four-door coupe are limited so far, though it will be a juiced up performance car offering more than 600-horsepower and over 300 miles of driving range per charge.



For three years Taycan buyers will get unlimited 30-minute charging sessions at Electrify America facilities that include&nbsp;more than 300 highway stations in 42 U.S. states and more than 180 stations in 17 cities, Porsche said. Each location will have an average of five charging bays, with some having up 10. The highway stations will have at least two 350 kW chargers per site, with additional chargers delivering up to 150kW.



The initial phase of the network, at 484 locations with more than 2,000 charging dispensers, will be installed or under construction by July 1, prior to Taycan’s launch in late 2019, Porsche and Electrify America said. Porsche dealers will spend about $70 million for fast-charge kiosks at their stores, the company said.



Tesla early on baked in a charging network to support its Model S when it launched the car in 2012. Initially, powering up at its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tesla.com/supercharger?redirect=no" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Supercharger</a>&nbsp;stations was also free, though over time it began charging customers as its owner base grew. Last week it moderated a planned increase in charging rates that&nbsp;<a href="https://electrek.co/2019/01/22/tesla-cuts-supercharger-prices-back-down-customer-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla fan site Electrek</a>&nbsp;estimated would go up by about 33% per kilowatt hour.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/">-Alan Ohnsman</a>Forbes Staff

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The first time you notice the new Porsche Panamera will probably be from behind. Not just because it&#8217;s rather quick off the lights, but the design team has done some remarkable aluminum surgery.
My take at the original launch of this incredibly roomy sports car was that the front was very attractive and 911-ish with a few botox injections and the rear end was&#8230; well&#8230; a touch Japanese of yesteryear and not the most beautiful bum on the block.
A few years ago, the controversial rump (almost as famous as J.Lo) got some visual liposuction with the taillights flattened and enlarged, along with a bigger back window and some complicated adjustments to the bum-per.
And while Chief Designer at Porsche, Michael Mauer, might argue that he was reliving the 928 era, the latest <a href="http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/panamera/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Panamera</a> is now the complete looker that we tend to expect from the Stuttgart stable where the cars are sculpted rather than designed.
Horizontal graphics visually widen the car, which is lower (without sacrificing rear headroom) and longer. But, you only realize that this is a genuine four-seater when you try to sneak into a tight parking spot.
We’re not talking about a pair of Pekinese on the way to the parlour… we mean adults, six-footers, sitting comfortably in the back with their knees below their ears.
But while Meghan Trainor might say it&#8217;s all about that bass, the attention to the rear end is a total disservice to the Porsche team which has been so energetic and visionary in producing a vehicle where virtually only the badge remains the same.
And that vision is exemplified when you first glance around the interior. Previously you may have been impressed by the V-shaped array of controls waiting for a flick from your forefinger. Now you are faced with sleek black touch screens which burst into life when you ignite the turbo.
What we probably have in common is an intense dislike for lengthy handover explanations when we take delivery of a fresh steed. But this is one case where you WILL need a 101. It is a bewildering experience getting to know your way around that cyber cockpit with more options than you can shake a selfie stick at.
It really is just a template for you to personalize the various screens and move the selected info to where you want it. So you may opt to simplify your drive style and leave out the G-Force and All-Wheel-Drive Percentage displays!
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The central analog tachometer is flanked by two 7.0-inch screens. These can be programmed to resemble the five round gauges in a traditional Porsche instrument panel, or you can choose to fill one side entirely with the navigation map.
A 12.3-inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay capability, is in charge of infotainment selections.
It does seem like techno overkill to change the flow on the central air vent on a touch screen but there are manual overrides for the fan and temperature. Does it all work? To be honest it would take more than a four-day test drive to come to any conclusion. But the shiny screens were getting friendlier by the day.
If you hanker for the bygone era, there is an analogue clock perched anachronistically on the top of the dash and buttons aplenty on the sensually shaped steering wheel.
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The petrol heads may wax on about bhp, rpm and Newton meters, but I would think most Panamera buyers prefer beauty and brains to brawn and aren’t buying this elegant sports limo to dice on city streets.
But the power train and suspension mods will provide the performance right for you. “There are new engines, a new chassis, and new electronics, and everything conspires to make it much sportier, but still very much a luxury sedan,” says Gernot Döllner, Porsche’s head of product design.
Getting back into the boiler room, Porsche make brilliant engines and there is a full range to take you from a mild heart flutter to serious adrenalin overload. And they have all been engineered to the magical new era formula of being lighter, more powerful, less fuel hungry and with lower emissions.
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They boast the brand’s new “hot vee” design.
“It adopts a ‘hot vee’ layout with the turbochargers in the engine&#8217;s valley. This setup allows for a short run from the exhaust manifold for minimal lag, which is further reduced by the twin-scroll turbos.”
Don’t worry – I don’t understand it either!
What I could feel by the seat of my pants is that the Audi-developed 2.9-liter V-6 Turbo, assisted by the new 8-speed gearbox, propels the Panamera 4S to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
The 4S will set you back $123,000. Throw in an extra $70,000 and you can be on the Panamera Turbo rocket ship with a 4-liter V-8 that blitzes you to the mark in a mere 3.6 seconds.
The mention of dollars is a sharp reminder that global car sales across all brands have not looked all that rosy for a couple of years and South Africa’s new car sales have so far lagged slightly behind 2016’s modest results.
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Yet Porsche increased its global sales figures for 2016 to a record total of 237,778 units.
The key drivers of this growth were Europe, the USA and China and the models leading the assault were the Macan and the new 718 Boxter. But the Panamera was definitely in the fray to provide an added boost.
And locally Porsche, the most profitable car per unit in the world, is a strong contender among the niche brands.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, the Porsche Cayenne, selling an impressive 576 units, was the leader of the Porsche pack. The Boxter/Cayman combo waded in with 300 and 296 orders for the legendary 911 found breathless new owners.
The Macan sold a relatively modest 217 units but the facelift is waiting in the wings. And the reason for low Panamera sales last year (just 20) was also the anticipation of the G2 as it is known in the trade.
So according to the NAAMSA figures, a total of 1,409 new Porsches were sold in South Africa in 2016.
“Sales figures are not the key focus though, rather being customer focused and exceeding service expectations on every contact level,” says diplomatic Public Relations Manager Christo Kruger.
“Panamera is a luxury saloon, with a clear distinction – being the sportiest offering in the segment and offering exceptional quality and driver interaction.”
Porsche are also taking their offering into the continent with official dealerships in Angola, Kenya and Ghana. As with all Porsches, the Panamera comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty which can be extended.
Is the new Porsche Panamera the right choice for your new family saloon?
If you like a sporting drive rather than a stiff upper lip, and need to take a couple of kids to school, I wouldn&#8217;t think twice! &#8211; Written by Derek Watts

Tag: Porsche

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