Iconic sports car makers go beyond the ordinary
Legacy matters, but when the world is changing at break-neck speed, even legendary car makers have to step up the gas.
PORSCHE GETS 3D PRINTING TO CUSTOMISE CAR SEATS
Ever sat in a car and felt the seat to be a little too hard? Or maybe sinking a little too much in the ultra soft cushions? The best of luxury cars around the world may not always match up to the high expectations of discerning customers and this is why Porsche has been testing 3D-printing technology to offer customised seats to customers buying its much-acclaimed sports cars.
The company says that its 3D-printing technology can develop seats and back rests as per customers’ needs. Prospective buyers can choose between three firmness levels — hard, medium and soft. The 3D-printed bodyform full-bucket seat is based on the lightweight fullbucket seat from Porsche and features a sandwich construction. A base support made from expanded polypropylene (EPP) is bonded to a breathable comfort layer comprising a mixture of polyurethane-based materials which are made using additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing. The outer skin of the concept seat is made from ‘Racetex’ and features a specific perforation pattern for climate control.
Window panels provide a view of exposed coloured components in the 3D-printed lattice structure. While still not implemented on a commercial scale, the company states that it has been inspired by the world of motorsports, where race drivers get seats contoured to their body structure.
“The seat is the interface between the human and the vehicle, and is thus important for precise, sporty handling,” says Michael Steiner, member of the executive board for Research and Development at Porsche. “With the 3D-printed bodyform full-bucket seat, we’re once again giving series-production customers the opportunity to experience technology carried over from motorsports,” he adds.
Porsche has promised that these seats would offer a unique design, lower weight, improved comfort and passive climate control.
FERRARI’S FIRST SUV WILL MAKE A DEBUT IN 2021
When Enzo Ferrari launched the Italian luxury carmaker back in 1939, he could have never thought that his company will have an SUV variant. As recently as 2016, former Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne, when asked if the supercar company would introduce an SUV, had said, “You have to shoot me first.” But the world has moved beyond their times and the current global trend demands more SUVs.
For the first time in its history, Ferrari has decided to take the plunge that most others have already taken and mastered. In 2021, Ferrari will launch its first SUV called Purosangue — Italian for ‘thoroughbred’ or pure blood — which will be a hybrid crossover with tints of Gran Turismo.
This model will have five doors, four seats 2+2 configuration and front-center engine. Although Louis Camilleri, the CEO of Ferrari, has emphasised that this product will not be an SUV, a five-door model with an exterior design inspired by the coupes tells a different story.
As for the engines, there will be a hybrid version with turbo with six or eight cylinders, so you could enjoy powers close to 700 hp. The price of the Purosangue SUV is likely to start from approximately 300,000 euros (₹2.45 crore) and go on to 500,000 euros (₹4.10 crore).
Ferrari has already run into trouble over the name Purosangue. An anti-doping non-profit charity organisation known as Purosangue Foundation has trademarked the name. Ferrari claims the charity ‘has not made sufficient commercial use of the name to warrant exclusivity’, and that the ‘registration should be removed because of lack of use over the past five years’. in