Porsche Individuality

Yesterday, I heard that the Japanese version of Porsche’s official app, Porsche Individuality, had just launched. The app lets you explore Porsche’s appeal through videos about the marque’s history and character, sports exhaust sounds, games, wallpapers, and 360-degree panoramic VR experiences. It first launched in Germany in 2017 and has earned international design accolades, including the Red Dot Design Award.

“This sounds fun!” I thought, and quickly installed it on my phone.

＊Related article: Experience the Porsche brand with the launch of the Japanese version of its official app

Eager to Try It, I Search the App Store!

I searched the iPhone App Store right away and found Porsche Individuality!

It says the app is available in “German, British, Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese.” …But,

“British” means English, right? (-_-)?

Maybe something went wrong in the Japanese translation… Slightly concerned, I read the app’s full description.

What if you could make your Porsche as individual as your own fingerprint?
This official Porsche app opens the door to the world of Porsche personalization.
The focus is on you and a host of remarkable details, along with a wide range of impressive options.
The app guides you from the first steps of making your Porsche your own to the exclusive series and the fascinating world of one-of-a-kind vehicles.
Discover a unique personalization experience with Porsche Tequipment and the one-of-a-kind Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, and see how you can tailor your Porsche to suit your wishes.
Just the way you want it. The result will be a Porsche unlike any other.
Thank you.

…

……

………

…I have no idea what that means! (*_*)

The more I read, the less sense it made.

Maybe it was translated with Google Translate… And the repeated use of “individualization”—a word you don’t hear much in everyday Japanese—felt especially awkward (laughs). Also, English copy often ends with “Thank you,” but does a Japanese translation really need to say “Thank you” at the end?

So, I took it to mean, “Create a Porsche that’s uniquely yours”—and moved on with that working interpretation.

Time to Give the App a Try!

I opened the app, and this was the first screen that appeared.

…Wait, isn’t that top line in German!? (;ﾟ∀ﾟ)

I tapped “Exclusive Manufaktur” at the top, and this screen appeared.

So, there are 29 sections, and you swipe or scroll through them. I gave it a quick scroll, and…

Hmm… Compared with the app description, at least I can sort of understand what it’s getting at (laughs).

Is it saying, “Let’s go back to the early days, when cars first became available to buy and ordinary people could own one”?

Scrolling brought up this screen.

Oh! Alongside a famous quote from Ferdinand Porsche, it shows the models Porsche has introduced—from the original 356 to the present day—and traces the company’s history.
Here’s how it introduces the Panamera, for example.

This is pretty interesting, and I think it’s a great way to learn about Porsche’s history and the cars it has developed over the years. Next up was this screen.

“When did your dream feel like reality?”

………When did my dream feel like reality?

……

……

…I don’t even know what it’s asking me (-_-) lol

Is it asking when I finally got the Porsche I’d dreamed about for years? …No, that doesn’t feel quite right. I gathered myself and tapped “Start Memory,” which brought up this screen.

Wait, a quiz already!?ﾟ(ﾟＡﾟ;)

There was a “Results” button in the top-right corner, so I braced myself and started answering, wondering if I’d get a Porsche trivia grade or something. I managed to answer the first few, but…

I couldn’t figure out the last two. “I’ll take a wild guess!” I thought, and tried…

Aww, wrong! (*_*)

Even if you get every answer right, nothing much happens. The quiz just keeps showing you different Porsche models and asking you to match them with photos. My husband—and other Porsche fans—would probably find it a piece of cake.

Let’s Keep Going

I scrolled down on the next screen…

O-one square centimeter at a time!? (;ﾟ∀ﾟ)

I couldn’t help making a circle with my thumb and index finger, thinking, “So, about this big?” (Illustration)

I had no idea what that meant, so I moved on. This screen appeared:

When I tapped one of the circles…

It showed…

A close-up and description of each detail. So that’s what “one square centimeter at a time” meant (laughs).

What’s next?

By this point, I was so used to the translation that I’d stopped noticing how strange the Japanese sounded.

Don’t think, feel.

Porsche was telling me, “Don’t think—feel.” That had to be it.

It seems you can change the exterior and interior colors of the 911 Turbo S to suit your taste. Here’s the default setup.

This is what I came up with.

It turned out pretty conservative… (-_-)

More Ways to Explore Porsche

From here on, I’ll give you the quick tour. First up: accessories.

Next, I think this is meant to give you a feel for the horsepower and torque—though there’s no sound.

Next, a little breather: touch the screen and the Porsche crest appears.

Then there’s a look at the 911 Targa 4 GTS, with details on the SportDesign package and other options.