Networker

Calling up vehicle data and managing vehicle functions via smartphone or smartwatch has been possible with Porsche since the Car Connect app was introduced in the 918 Spyder. Now, with the new Panamera, a much more expansive generation of digital communication is coming to the market: Porsche Connect. This system offers an enormous spectrum of interactive features, apps, and services. It connects all new Porsche models–from the 718 Cayman to the Panamera–with the World Wide Web.

The Porsche Connect equipment package will be offered in two forms: Connect and Connect Plus. Connect is available as an option for the 718 models and the Macan, and includes a smartphone tray for optimized cell phone reception, as well as Apple CarPlay and Porsche Car Connect apps. Car Connect functions include remote and e-mobility services (such as calling up vehicle information and remote control of some vehicle functions), safety services (breakdown and emergency assistance), and security services (vehicle localization in case of theft, owner notification, and an alarm center).

One particular highlight is the Porsche Connect app

The Connect Plus equipment package is standard in the 911 and the new Panamera. Porsche offers this upgrade as an option for the 718 models, the Macan, and the Cayenne. Connect Plus expands the spectrum of the Connect package to include an LTE telephone module, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and countless navigation and infotainment services both in the vehicle and for smartphones. In China and Japan, Porsche also offers a concierge service.

One particular highlight of the Connect Plus option is the Porsche Connect app–available free of charge in the Google and Apple app stores under the name “PCM Connect.” With the Porsche Connect app, it is possible to search for a navigation destination before the start of the trip by using Google via your smartphone, then to save it and transfer it to the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system. Even calendar entries with stored addresses can be chosen as destinations. Smartphone photos associated with GPS data can be entered as navigation destinations as well.

The Connect app enables the new Porsche models to offer a practically unlimited selection of Internet radio stations and streaming music, thanks to third-party providers such as radio.net and Napster. Numerous app functions, in particular last mile navigation, can be operated via the Apple Watch. The range of apps in PCM includes weather, charging stations for the e-hybrid models, gas prices, parking space information, flight information, and news. The dictate message and Twitter functions open additional communication channels via voice command. The user can configure and activate the services that he or she uses at any time through the Porsche Connect Portal and the Porsche Connect Store. For example, the user can add navigation destinations on a laptop and subsequently have these available and at the ready in his or her car. In this and so many other ways, driving pleasure in a Porsche has just become even smarter.