Porsche receives award for innovation performance

For around two years, Porsche has been involved in Europe's largest innovation platform "Startup Autobahn", working with young companies from all over the world. The focus is on the joint development and testing of new technologies and business models.

The sports car manufacturer has now received an award for its innovative performance. At the Expo Day of Startup Autobahn in Stuttgart, Porsche AG received the "Global Innovation Award" from the Silicon Valley Tech Center "Plug and Play". The award was presented by its CEO and founder Saeed Amidi, who emphasised the outstanding innovation achievements on the way to the sports car of the future. Over the past two years, Porsche has worked with more than 50 start-ups in this context. Around one third of the projects will ultimately be implemented, including for the Taycan and its successor generations.

"This award is dedicated to all the start-ups we have worked with - those with whom we have failed and those with whom we have been successful. But above all to all our colleagues who say 'Why not' instead of 'Yes, but'," says Christian Knörle, Project Manager Innovation Management at Porsche AG. "Innovation is not a self-propelled product. Every day it requires anew the fight for the implementation of the right idea. We are very pleased about the award and see it as motivation to continue this course with even more energy."

Porsche has been a partner in the Startup Autobahn innovation platform initiated since 2017, with the aim of bringing innovative start-ups from all over the world to Stuttgart with their ideas. Several companies have joined forces, including Porsche, Daimler, the University of Stuttgart, Arena 2036, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, DXC Technology, ZF Friedrichshafen and BASF, among others.

Under the umbrella of Startup Autobahn, they collaborate with start-ups in specific pilot projects that run over a period of 100 days. Porsche has implemented around 50 projects as part of Startup Autobahn over the past two years, and around a third of results have been incorporated into the series development process.