My dream Porsche: with Michael Mauer, chief designer, Porsche
Inspiration and ideas on how to build your perfect Porsche
With the Porsche Car Configurator, you can personalise a Porsche to your desired specifications. Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche, inspires you with his perfect Taycan build
Just like moving into a new house, a big part of the fun when buying a new car is the chance to design it to suit your own tastes. And that’s where the Porsche Car Configurator comes in. The configurator can be accessed by anyone, whether you are serious about buying a new Porsche or perhaps, just for now, want to enjoy yourself exploring all the many choices and options available to customers. Once you’ve ‘built’ your car, the configurator even creates a set of images – interior and exterior, as well as access to 360-degree views – of what your finished Porsche will look like.And who better to provide some inspiration for this process than Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. After grabbing his iPad, Michael called up the Porsche Car Configurator on the screen and went to work.Who is Michael Mauer?Michael Mauer has been chief designer for Porsche for almost 20 years. It means that not only has he been involved in the development of all the current Porsche models, Michael’s influence has pervaded across many more of the company’s cars, including the introduction of the Cayman, Macan and Taycan models. He has also been responsible for the design of every 911 model since he started work at Porsche.Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche, has been head of the Porsche automotive design team for over two decadesAnd here, just for you, Michael turns his attention to using the power of the Porsche Car Configurator to build his perfect Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo. He tells us why he made the decisions he did as well as revealing insights into what his job as the chief designer for Porsche entails.How did you choose the exterior colour for your Porsche, Michael?“When it comes to colour, everyone’s opinions differ. I prefer grey/green tones. But I also think that the colour matches the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo perfectly. As a designer, I’m constantly concerned with form. So I always see colours that, in my opinion, fit – and don’t fit – very well. It’s just a matter of personal taste.The first thing to decide on when you build a car in the Porsche Car Configurator is the colour. For the majority of people, Michael says, it’s the thing that you’ll spend the most time considering“For my configuration I chose Paint To Sample Alexgrey. It’s not a super bright colour and at first you may think, is it a green or is it a grey? But that’s because it has many facets that change depending on the weather and how the lights fall on it. There are also a lot of black exterior parts that I have chosen, and they harmonise wonderfully with the rest of the exterior.“Again – and this is based on my preference – I always want to have a certain harmony when it comes to car colours. So, we have the Tinted HD-Matrix LED headlights with four-point LED daytime running lights in Glacier Iceblue while the rear lights have no red or orange visible on the lights. This is because they harmonise so well with the body colour and the rims I have chosen.”For Michael, when it comes to configuring a car, harmony is vitalTell us about the wheels you have chosen for your Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo?“Speaking as a designer, there is no rim that’s too big, there are only rims that are too small. So it was relatively simple – it had to be the largest rims. And, as with body colours, there are of course certain colours that suit a certain type of vehicle better and that support its proportions. I already have my favourite rims, which fit particularly well with this Taycan [21-inch Cross Turismo design wheels, painted in black satin gloss]. I wouldn’t want to put them on a 911. They are more specific and suitable for this vehicle type.”What was important to you when choosing the interior for the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo?“When it comes to designing an interior, I’m always concerned with – how should I express this – being distracted as little as possible when I am driving. That’s why I prefer subtle and dark interiors. I love driving and one important thing for me is to have a minimum amount of distraction in the interior. Here I chose the stitching as a contrast [Chalk Beige against the black smooth interior]. I think it’s very harmonious and won’t distract from the driving. And I have also incorporated the accent package in dark silver.Once your configuration is complete, the Porsche Car Configurator renders a set of images of your finished car. Here’s the exterior of Michael’s Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo“As for the exterior colour, I spent a long time deliberating over it – although I can never be certain that in two weeks’ time I will be unsure about it again! I was able to configure the rest of it pretty quickly although, of course, I do know the different products very well. What I will add is that with a premium luxury product, attention to detail is very important. It’s an expression of how meticulously a product is designed.”How do you design a Porsche?“For the exterior design, that starts very early. You think about the proportions – i.e., its height to width ratio. Is that attractive? Will the car sit well on its wheels? This is the first phase – the architecture phase. The second phase is the styling phase, where it’s really about the different elements – such as the shape of the headlights. The third phase is focused on details and especially on the interior. The relevant topics are the styling, look and feel and functionality of different areas in the car.Michael went for a muted, dark colour scheme for the interior of his Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo“Another very important topic is acoustics. What noise does it make when I close the door or move a switch? Or when I slide around on the leather seat? It’s all in the details. Every detail must be part of a coherent overall concept to ensure that the finalised product will be your very own personal dream car.”
I think it’s almost a basic requirement for creative people that they dream, to move mentally to the future – to detach yourself from the place where you currently, physically, are
Porsche is Driven by Dreams. What do dreams mean to you?“For me personally, I define ‘dreaming’ as the opportunity to free yourself from any constraints you may have. Sometimes it’s good to just leave everything behind and dream what a car could look like if there were no constraints. I think it’s almost a basic requirement for creative people that they dream, to move mentally to the future – to detach yourself from the place where you currently, physically, are.”“Your first reaction is often the best”: Michael Mauer on configuring your perfect car using the Porsche Car ConfiguratorWhat’s a final piece of advice for anyone using the Porsche Car Configurator?“Using the Porsche Car Configurator is a great opportunity to give a personal touch to your next car. It’s a great way to try new things – not necessarily trying to understand it rationally, but simply looking at a picture and going with your gut feeling a little more. It doesn’t matter if it’s a spontaneous reaction. Your first reaction is often the best. To use this product to create something that truly expresses your personality is a chance that I wouldn’t miss.”You can explore the exact configuration of Michael's Porsche here. To build your own, visit the Porsche Car Configurator and design the car of your dreams.
Consumption and emission of the cars mentioned in this articleTaycan Turbo Cross Turismo (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 22,0 - 19,1 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A.
