The rain washes the colors out of the high-rise canyons: the green of the palm trees, the twinkling lights of colorful sky bars in the high-rise buildings – it all disappears in the hazy twilight. The day of the world premiere of the new Macan in Singapore has arrived. The pouring rain drums on the roofs. The tropical heat turns it into steam when it hits the ground, and this then spreads between futuristic trees made from steel. It’s the rainy season in Singapore, the green megacity in Southeast Asia. The city of banks, of global trade, of a departure into a green future.
The perfect stage for a spectacular Porsche show
Over a number of weeks, a piece of art that the author calls “My Two Cars Garage” has been created in the Gardens by the Bay. It consists of more than 6,500 individual parts that come together as a self-supporting, three-dimensional puzzle. A futuristic garage in the south of Singapore – in the midst of gardens featuring waterfalls, mangrove swamps, and treetop paths. It was designed by the architect and artist Marc Fornes in collaboration with Style Porsche.
On the day of the world premiere, the rain subsides and darkness descends upon the Gardens by the Bay. The premiere guests from around the world await the proceedings with bated breath. Music and light effects bring Marc Fornes’ art installation to life; flashes of light flicker across the sculpture’s surface – and the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo roll out of their garage, accompanied by epic music. The Macan 4 in the new design color Provence and the Turbo in Ice Grey Metallic. Porsche power against the backdrop of the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel. The hotel’s three 55-story towers are crowned at a height of approximately 200 meters by a 340-meter-long rooftop garden that extends across the high-rise buildings like a surfboard and includes an infinity pool. “This place proves that change is possible,” says Porsche Chairman of the Executive Board Oliver Blume. “A jungle in the midst of the city. Renewable energies. You simply have to embrace the idea and get stuck in.” This is precisely what Porsche is doing as it brings one of its top sellers, the Macan, into the age of electric mobility.
The developers worked on the model with passion and perfectionism: “We are lifting the Macan to an entirely new level,” says Blume. “With exceptional e-performance, the new driver experience, and expressive design.” Sporty, tenacious, elegant – the all-electric model fits well with the meaning of the name Macan, the Indonesian word for “tiger.”
The megacity as an extra-special backdrop
In Singapore, it is taking a leap into the future. And is using the megacity as an extra-special backdrop: palm trees, ferns, and orchids line the streets, on which the traffic flows almost without congestion. Progress everywhere you look – but its history is nevertheless almost palpable. Tradition in harmony with modernity. Colorful colonial buildings and ancient temples look like miniatures ducking down below high-rise buildings. Many of these towering skyscrapers feature vertical gardens growing up them – Singapore has been developing its vision of a garden city since the 1960s. The urban jungle affords office workers a view of the urban rainforest, of a city which is growing and flourishing.
The metropolis is a meeting place for Europeans and Chinese, for Malayans and Indians. A global city that’s also a hub: the container ships line up in the port like a never-ending chain. The megacity with approximately six million inhabitants is considered a center of innovation and technology – attributes that likewise stand for the new Macan.
The Overseas and Emerging Markets region, which includes Southeast Asia, has developed into one of the most dynamic markets in the world for Porsche in recent years. A market with significant growth potential. There was a 16 percent increase in deliveries here in 2023, with a total of 52,220 customers taking receipt of their new sports cars. That’s almost twice as many as around 10 years ago.
“Singapore opens the door to the future.” Oliver Blume
This potential is to be exploited even more comprehensively in the future, and the new Porsche Campus was opened in November 2023. The operating center of Porsche Asia Pacific, the regional subsidiary of Porsche, is located in Guoco Midtown, a modern building complex. As part of the world premiere, Porsche Studio Singapore opened its doors, too. It is one of more than 20 studios around the world that offer customers a unique brand experience. According to Oliver Blume, Porsche wishes to tap new target groups with the all-electric Macan. “Our Porsche family is getting younger and more female. Especially in Asia.” It expects an SUV that offers the performance of a sports car coupled with the digital experience of a smartphone.
Innovation and tradition: it is not only in Singapore that these conflicting poles are at work – these terms also serve Michael Mauer and his team as a compass whenever they develop a new or further enhance an existing car. With the all-electric Macan, the Vice President Style Porsche faced the challenge of designing an established vehicle in such a way that it would set benchmarks in the age of electric mobility, too. “With every new generation, our task is to strike the right balance between familiar design attributes and new elements,” he says while on the stage at the world premiere. And there is one immovable guiding principle: “Porsche remains Porsche – even an electric Porsche is a sports car in its segment.” This principle characterizes the all-electric Macan, too. “We refined the design both inside and out,” relates Mauer. “The new model has an even sportier and more dynamic vibe. And the driving pleasure is definitely reflected in the design.”
Marc Fornes’ shimmering sculpture is likewise inspired by this design. And offers space for special moments – like the world premiere in the Gardens by the Bay. Fornes, himself a passionate Porsche driver, talks of his fascination with the brand in Singapore: “They’re cars that are made for dreaming. For me, it’s not about their material value. It’s about the joy they bring to your life.” In Provence, in Ice Grey Metallic, or in one of the numerous other colors the customers can choose from. On this night, Fornes’ extraordinary garage radiates light over the two sports cars. It’s a combination with a magical allure. An electrifying journey begins for the Macan here in Singapore’s bay, taking it from the garden city out onto roads all over the world.
Porsche Campus Singapore
The ASEAN region (short for Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is becoming a key market for Porsche. Forecasts indicate that the association will be the world’s third-largest economic region behind China and the USA by 2030. The recently opened Porsche Campus takes this development into account. This is where the activities of Porsche Asia Pacific are coordinated. Guoco Midtown features modern offices and function rooms. One of its highlights are the delivery bays on the sixth floor, where customers take receipt of their sports cars. Porsche Studio Singapore was inaugurated on the ground floor of the building complex the day before the Macan premiere. In one of more than 20 such studios around the world, the brand can be experienced at close quarters here. It also features food services, coworking spaces, and lifestyle spaces.
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Text first published in the Porsche magazine Christophorus 410 – out today!
Authors: Matthias Kriegel and Erik Raidt
Photos: Frank Kayser
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