I love (and am eternally grateful) for this 911 anecdote from former Porsche CEO, Peter Schutz, the first American to hold that title: When I joined Porsche, I hadnt so much as sat in a 911. But within a week or so of being on the job, I noticed a sort of pervasive sadness among the staff. Asking around, I discovered that the employees had lost all of their motivation as soon as the decision came down to cancel the 911. As the board saw it, the car had become an outmoded concept. Sales had been dropping steadily for more than a year, and dealers had begun to complain that the price was too high and quality too low. The 911 was too difficult to control, blah, blah, blah. The decision didnt sit well with me. While the car could be temperamental at times, at least it had character. Thats what people loved most about it. You had to remain vigilant with your inputs, but for those who could—those with training, with skill, who could catch it in a slide and bring it back into line—the 911 was king. It was the only car worth driving because it was the only car that would push back. You have to understand that, in Germany, once a decision is made, its made. As far as the company was concerned, the 911 was history. But I overturned the boards decision in my third week on the job. I remember the day quite well: I went down to the office of our lead engineer, Professor Helmuth Bott, to discuss plans for our upcoming model. I noticed a chart hanging on his wall that depicted the ongoing development trends of our top three lines: 911, 928, and 944. With the latter options, the graph showed a steady rise in production for years to come. But for the 911, the line stopped in 1981. I grabbed a marker off Professor Botts desk and extended the 911 line across the page, onto the wall, and out the door. When I came back, Bott stood there, grinning. Do we understand each other? I asked. And with a nod, we did.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:21:29 +0000
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