Olympic Skiing Champion Labels Porsche as the ‘Ultimate Brand’
‘Norwegian Viking’ Aksel Lund Svindal drives Taycan on Norwegian roads and talks about his love of challenges, racing, and Porsche.
Aksel Lund Svindal had a legendary career as a downhill ski racer. He was double Olympic champion, double overall World Cup champion, and five-time world champion, to name only a few of his highlights. He is a man that thrives on challenges and has an intense commitment and passion for racing, much like Porsche themselves. Svindal in many ways is the embodiment of Porsche, so it makes perfect sense that he would be selected to serve as a Brand Ambassador.
Svindal has recently retired from ski racing and has begun a new chapter in his life. Not one to sit still he has taken on the challenges of investing in some start-up companies. Porsche recently introduced the Taycan as their first-ever full electric car. This new model ushers in a new chapter for them as they challenge the electric car market. The Taycan has impressed from day one and there is no better place than on the snowy roads of his native Norway for Svindal to tell us why.
Svindal knows a thing or two about challenges. While he has had a highly successful career, the victories did not come easily. Of course, to become one of the top skiers in the world takes tremendous dedication and training. However, on top of that he has had to overcome some severe injuries. At times, his injuries had his doctors telling him that he may never be able to race again. He persevered and remained competitive, taking a silver medal in his last event in 2019.
As Svindal says, ski racing is about dynamics and the constantly changing elements. To become a champion, one must adapt and perform in all conditions. The Taycan was designed to excel no matter the road conditions, and Svindal feels that this is one area where the car hits the mark: “To me, the performance of a car is that you don’t really have the exact same conditions the whole time and when you drive a good car you feel that performance in all kinds of situations.”
Another area that makes the Taycan stand out is its ability to blend the old with the new. Porsche has a long history and heritage that goes along with it. They needed to introduce a clean slate car with cutting edge technology, yet it had to retain that Porsche heritage. Svindal believes the Taycan achieves this melding of new and old: “What is cool about the Taycan is that it is a blend of the look into the future but keeping the same DNA that has been there since the ‘60s.”
These words are not coming from just a ski racing legend but also from a guy who has been a car nerd his whole life. He remembers being in kindergarten and walking through a parking lot with his mom and picking out and naming the various car brands that he would see. Many of us can relate to that, and probably recall similar memories. He doesn’t even have to drive his cars to enjoy them, he can just look at them and instantly feel better. Svindal is a car guy and in his opinion, Porsche is the ultimate brand. While most of us have not won multiple Olympic gold medals, we can still agree with his assessment of Porsche.
Photos: Porsche
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