Porsche to develop Toronto experience centre
The Porsche Experience is coming to Toronto.
Porsche Cars Canada announced on November 3 that it will build its third North American Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) at the at the Durham Live development in Pickering. The 20-acre development currently features a casino, and will include a concert venue, more than 400,000 square feet of retail space, and a luxury hotel with more than 300 rooms.
PEC Toronto is slated to open by 2024.
"Porsche is more than just a car. Porsche is a promise for a unique brand and product experience and since the first opening in Silverstone in 2008, our Porsche Experience Centres are the best way to get this promise," says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. "Nowhere else in the automotive industry, the soul of our sports cars can be lived that way. I couldn't be happier that we can now announce the 10th location of its kind in Toronto – the fastest-growing city in North America with an ever-greater community of Porsche fans."
The first urban version of the worldwide concept, PEC Toronto will be a brand park and major tourist destination where visitors can experience vehicle dynamics, technology and emotion first-hand with expert guidance from Porsche instructors through various driving modules all year long and within a 30-minute drive of downtown Toronto.
PEC Toronto will include a driving circuit over two kilometres in length, which has been designed by Tilke Engineering to highlight the technological prowess of Porsche’s sports cars.
"Being located at the Durham Live entertainment district will offer Porsche enthusiasts a dynamic and complementary mix of excitement, gaming, culture, nightlife, cuisine and adventure which will enhance the overall experience" said Steve Apostolopoulos, Managing Partner and President of Pickering Developments, the owners of the Durham Live district.
Global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK are designing the building and incorporating innovative technologies focused on sustainability. For example, PEC Toronto will feature electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the most environmentally responsible layout for the design, build, and operation.
PEC Toronto is Porsche’s 10th experience centre worldwide. Others are located in Leipzig, Silverstone, Atlanta, Le Mans, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Germany's Hockenheimring, Franciacorta, Italy, and Tokyo.
Featured image: The Porsche Experience Centre Toronto will be located at the Durham Live development in Pickering. (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)