Porsche lands in Silicon Valley to develop sportscars of the future

Porsche is the latest car maker to set up shop in Silicon Valley, opening a new digital technology centre with 100 employees.

The new outpost will be used to strengthen ties between the German sportscar maker and the technology startups of San Francisco. It will also be used to put Porsche in touch with venture-capital companies, and to invest in startups.

Porsche joins a large number of traditional carmakers already set up in Silicon Valley, and will be located close to tech companies like Google, Uber, Tesla and Apple, and their own automotive ventures.

Carmakers who have recently expanded to Silicon Valley include Volkswagen, Hyundai, General Motors, Ford, Honda, Toyota, BMW, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz.

Headed by Thilo Koslowski, a former digital mobility analyst at technology consultancy Gartner, Porsche's Silicon Valley office comes a year after the launch of an entire digital division close to the company's global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

'Future of the car is being written in Silicon Valley'

Koslowski said: "The car is the ultimate mobile device of the future, and the future is being written in Silicon Valley. This means it is particularly important to be right next door to leading IT companies in the US, as this allows us to identify trends early and invest in new technologies at the right time."

As well as broadening its use of in-car technology like almost every other manufacturer, Porsche is also investing in hybrid and electric drive technologies. The Volkswagen-owned company has already launched a hybrid version of its Panamera saloon car, and is currently developing a production version of the Mission E, an all-electric sports car.