Doug DeMuro
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
One of the great stories in the auto industry. The 928, though I just provided an impassioned defense for it, It never felt like the right car to Porsche. It never felt like the right car to especially the employees who had kind of fallen in love with this 911. It had been in production now at this point for probably 20 years, 25 years maybe. And the 911 was Porsche to a lot of these people.
One of the great stories in the auto industry. The 928, though I just provided an impassioned defense for it, It never felt like the right car to Porsche. It never felt like the right car to especially the employees who had kind of fallen in love with this 911. It had been in production now at this point for probably 20 years, 25 years maybe. And the 911 was Porsche to a lot of these people.
And the fact that it was going to get replaced by the 928 was this sad thing. And it had kind of really hurt morale in Stuttgart at the factory all the way up to some of the people at the top. And so the great story is that the 9-11, everybody knows the impending cancellation is coming. It's still going, but it's coming, this beloved car.
And the fact that it was going to get replaced by the 928 was this sad thing. And it had kind of really hurt morale in Stuttgart at the factory all the way up to some of the people at the top. And so the great story is that the 9-11, everybody knows the impending cancellation is coming. It's still going, but it's coming, this beloved car.
And so Schuetz, Peter Schuetz, the American CEO, is sitting in the office of Helmuth Bott, who's the chief of engineering for Porsche. And there's a line on the wall that shows where all the products stop and start in the timeline.
And so Schuetz, Peter Schuetz, the American CEO, is sitting in the office of Helmuth Bott, who's the chief of engineering for Porsche. And there's a line on the wall that shows where all the products stop and start in the timeline.
Yeah, like on a whiteboard or something. Yeah, like tacked to the wall. Right. And so they're sitting there talking about it. They know that morale is low. They know that the company wants to keep the 911 even though it should be replaced because it's old. That's the thinking of the people.
Yeah, like on a whiteboard or something. Yeah, like tacked to the wall. Right. And so they're sitting there talking about it. They know that morale is low. They know that the company wants to keep the 911 even though it should be replaced because it's old. That's the thinking of the people.
An edict has been given, and the car's out. I mean, the 928 is on sale. Like, it has shown up to replace the 911 in the spirit of these other cars of the time. V8 front engine, it made sense. It was what they were going to do. But the morale was low, and they knew this. And so, Schutz stands up. He's got a marker in his hand. He stands up.
An edict has been given, and the car's out. I mean, the 928 is on sale. Like, it has shown up to replace the 911 in the spirit of these other cars of the time. V8 front engine, it made sense. It was what they were going to do. But the morale was low, and they knew this. And so, Schutz stands up. He's got a marker in his hand. He stands up.
He walks up to the timeline on the wall, and he draws a line on the timeline all the way onto the wall and extends the 9-11's timeline indefinitely, including onto the literal wall. Now, this story, of course, this is like the stuff of legend in Porsche. Like, Peter Schutz, the American CEO, saving the 9-11 in this moment. And a lot of talk about whether this actually happened.
He walks up to the timeline on the wall, and he draws a line on the timeline all the way onto the wall and extends the 9-11's timeline indefinitely, including onto the literal wall. Now, this story, of course, this is like the stuff of legend in Porsche. Like, Peter Schutz, the American CEO, saving the 9-11 in this moment. And a lot of talk about whether this actually happened.
Like, did he actually just draw the line and make the complete 180 in decision?
Like, did he actually just draw the line and make the complete 180 in decision?
Right, especially if you're trying to boost the reputation of the CEO among the workers.
Right, especially if you're trying to boost the reputation of the CEO among the workers.
I always wondered if the story was true. I worked at Porsche 10 years ago and had become friends with Porsche's general counsel in North America. When Peter Schutz retired, he moved to Naples, Florida, and the general counsel at Porsche and Peter Schutz were neighbors in their homes in Naples. And one day, he went over to his house and asked him, you know, is the story real? Did it happen?
I always wondered if the story was true. I worked at Porsche 10 years ago and had become friends with Porsche's general counsel in North America. When Peter Schutz retired, he moved to Naples, Florida, and the general counsel at Porsche and Peter Schutz were neighbors in their homes in Naples. And one day, he went over to his house and asked him, you know, is the story real? Did it happen?