An Adventure Of Discovery Across Canada With Porsche’s President Aboard The Panamera GTS

Racking up countless kilometres behind the wheel of his beloved Panamera GTS, CEO of Porsche Cars Canada, Marc Ouayoun visited seven of Canada’s Porsche Centres on one mighty voyage.

From company headquarters in Toronto to Vancouver in British Columbia, the road trip navigated over 5,000 km of Canada’s vast and dramatic landscapes.

Porsche Cars Canada’s president and chief executive officer, Marc Ouayoun, remarked, “It’s not just a business trip, it’s a journey, and my first intention was to proactively visit our Porsche Centres, the other idea was to discover what Canada means. It has a certain meaning when you drive to see people. When you drive through the country, you understand it a little more.”

Ouayoun set out from Toronto in a new Panamera GTS on 23 July, and the first day required him a demanding 700 km of solid driving to Sault Ste. Marie, a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario.

Said distance is then repeated the following day, added with a further 500 km on the Sunday, teeing up an early start and a 2.5-hour drive to Porsche Centre Winnipeg for the Monday.

“It is difficult to imagine the diversity of the landscapes you encounter. It can be similar for hundreds of kilometres then change entirely in just a few. The roads in Ontario are curvy and beautiful, following Georgian Bay around Lake Huron and when you leave Ontario, you’re quickly into the Prairies, where it is so flat, and you have a completely different atmosphere. To be completely Canadian, sometimes you need to be in the middle of nowhere, and driving in the Prairies, where you feel alone, is definitely part of that experience,” Ouayoun added.

Next, the CEO’s journey led him northwest towards Yorkton in Saskatchewan and a busy series of Porsche Centre visits.

First stop was in the regional capital of Saskatoon before heading straight on to Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta.

The Kelowna region of British Columbia offered him some welcome rest over the weekend before hitting the road once again, leaving the Kelowna Centre for another packed schedule of Centre visits.

After that, a five-hour drive to Porsche Centre Langley sent him to the last overnight stop and final destination at Porsche Centre Vancouver. That added about 5,000 km to the Panamera’s odometer.

He furthered, “The schedule was ambitious, but with the right preparations for the journey, I was able to arrive on time to every appointment. There were a few challenges of course. You have to plan for ahead for refuelling, as you can go 150 km without a gas station. And you have to watch your speed. The limits vary between 90 and 120 km/h, and the roads can be tempting. Then there’s the weather. One day in Ontario, it was five degrees centigrade, with heavy rain and fog. The next day it was 30 degrees, and the sun was sweltering.”

Another motive behind such a long and arduous journey was Ouayoun’s desire to demonstrate his own belief in the Porsche product.

Fortunately, the Panamera received a warm welcome in the most diffused parts of the country, denoting a positive insight of the brand to the CEO, even in places where Porsches are rarely seen.

Besides that, his Canadian odyssey allowed him to visit seven Porsche Centres, five new construction builds and the latest installation locations for the Destination Charging programme.

To do that through the medium of the Porsche Panamera GTS just elevated the entire journey into something extraordinary.

Ouayoun concluded, “This trip was a way to show that our cars are meant to be driven, that they are a part of the journey and the Panamera GTS was incredible. So smooth and comfortable, but with lots of character and an incredible sound. It was a huge part of the experience, and that’s a big part of the Porsche brand. Making cars with such versatility that, whatever the distance, the weather or the road conditions, you can carry on, keep exploring, meeting new people and creating great memories."