Porsche’s next-gen showroom prototype opens in Palm Springs, Ca.
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Described as the first-of-its-kind, Porsche Palm Springs was designed to provide customers with architectural and tech-immersive elements that offer an exclusive Porsche experience.
Sitting on a 2.7-acre lot, the 45,000-sf facility will offer 30% to 40% more inventory than the old dealership. The LEED-certified building uses solar power and is will service and recharge the new Porsche Taycan, the brand’s first all-electric vehicle.
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The showroom was designed with distinctive environments to reflect each model offering such as the 911, Cayman, and Cayenne. Customers enter the facility and follow a walkable road that leads them through the building to the distinct vehicle environments. The environments create experiences via audio, visual (Porsche Palm Springs includes 12 digital screens, two of which measure 16’x9’), and virtual reality elements (VR allows customers to virtually experience their own car configuration before purchase), and are easily adaptable. A walkable bridge on the second floor mimics one found in Stuttgart, Germany where Porsche vehicles sit on a moving conveyor belt that transfers them to the next stage of assembly.
The showroom includes the Porscheplatz social space, an area that offers various seating arrangements, a café, and a Kids Corner. The second floor features Werk 1, a lounge that can be used to host events. The expanded service department comprises 16 service bays, two electric bays, and indoor hand wash bays. Visitors are able to look into the service workshop via a large window while waiting.
Porsche Palm Springs marks the prototype for Porsche’s new corporate architecture philosophy. The concept, dubbed Destination Porsche, looks to turn the dealership into a central gathering place for the Porsche community. The final concept will follow by mid-2020 with two dealerships currently underway, one in Dortmund Germany and one in Hangzhou, China.
The Palm Springs showroom is the result of a partnership between Porsche and indiGO Auto Group, a luxury automotive dealer with 15 franchised dealerships across five U.S. markets. Whitfield Associates, Inc. designed the project.
