What is the story of Ferdinand Porsche?
Ferdinand Porsche founded his engineering office in 1931. Working until his death in 1951, the exceptionally creative technician, formerly a designer of electric cars and racing cars and the chief developer at Daimler-Benz, laid the foundations for the global company that would later bear the same name. The company is owned by Volkswagen AG, a controlling stake of which is owned by Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE. Porsche’s current lineup includes the 911, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne and Taycan.On June 22, 1934 “Reichsverband der Deutschen Automobilindustrie” commissions Ferdinand Porsche to design a Volkswagen subsidized by the state. The engineer born in Maffersdorf, Bohemia in 1875 initially worked at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, before opening his own engineering office in 1930.The connection between the Nazis and famous automobile companies has been well documented. In May 1937, Adolf Hitler’s party founded a state-owned company that was later named Volkswagen, or ‘The People’s Car Company’. Hitler himself asked Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the Porsche car company, to design it.Porsche and Volkswagen merged in 2011. At that time, Porsche was designated a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG (interestingly, besides being the Porsche parent company, VW also owns Audi, Bugatti, and Lamborghini). So, from that standpoint, Volkswagen AG is the company who owns Porsche.
Does the Porsche family still exist?
Its members control Porsche SE and have a majority voting right over Volkswagen AG, the largest automaker in the world. The Porsche family headquarters are in the Austrian town of Zell am See. The family is the 7th richest family of Germany (2022) with an estimated net worth of 66. In 2024, Volkswagen slightly increased market share and easily remained the largest car brand in Germany. Mercedes-Benz was the second best-selling car brand in Germany followed by BMW. VW-owned Skoda moved up to fourth place followed by Audi and Seat.Its members control Porsche SE and have a majority voting right over Volkswagen AG, the largest automaker in the world. The Porsche family headquarters are in the Austrian town of Zell am See. The family is the 7th richest family of Germany (2022) with an estimated net worth of 66.