Besides the Porsche World Road Show which has been held for many years, another international event by the sportscar company which has come to Malaysia is ‘Join the Porsche Ride’. This is a social initiative launched by Porsche, visiting various destinations on 5 continents worldwide.
As part of the sustainability strategy field ‘Partner of Society’, it is about taking social responsibility and launching educational and support programs tailored to local needs — all using the fully electric Taycan as an ambassador. The power of the Taycan can also be seen symbolically here. The initiative aims to protect the environment, create good working and living conditions, and strengthen social cohesion.
The first stop of ‘Join the Porsche Ride’ was in 2022 at the Porsche site in Leipzig, Germany. This was followed by stops in Switzerland, France, South Africa, China, and Brazil. Now on its seventh stage, the Taycan made a stop in Malaysia recently in Kulim, Kedah, where the Cayenne is assembled at the Inokom Corporation plant. This is the only plant outside Germany where Porsche has vehicle assembly.
In connection with ‘Join the Porsche Ride’, Porsche Asia Pacific, together with Porsche AG, Porsche Malaysia (represented by Sime Darby Auto Performance), and Inokom Corporation, has launched an environmental protection program for schoolchildren at a local public elementary school.
The focus of the program, implemented with the support of the Malaysian NGO Free Tree Society and named ‘Sahabat Lestari’, is not only on environmental protection qualification but also on establishing responsible behaviour and integrating it into everyday school life.
In workshops, the topics are initially introduced to the students in an age-appropriate manner. The heart of the program, among other things, includes the planting of a school’s own mini jungle, which will then be maintained and cared for by the school community (above).
Further, as part of a 30-day challenge, the students are challenged to recycle various materials from everyday school life, such as paper and plastic. After participating, the students will receive a certificate as an “Eco-Ambassador’.
Fostering empowerment through education
“As with the previous stops of ‘Join the Porsche Ride’, our goal is to foster empowerment through education. We encourage our students to be the agents of change within their families and communities,” said Hannes Ruoff, CEO of Porsche Asia Pacific.
“Together, we aim to make a tangible difference by striving to generate positive environmental and social impacts while fostering change through collective efforts,” added Christopher Hunter, CEO of Sime Darby Auto Performance.
There are plans to expand the program to various locations across Malaysia in 2025. “Together with all partners, we will achieve measurable results and successes and thus make a valuable contribution to environmental protection in Malaysia,” said Carolyn Lau, Managing Director of Free Tree Society, who is already looking forward to further collaboration.