Legendary roads? There’s Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, the Ring Street in Iceland, and the Nice Ocean Street in Australia. After which there’s China Nationwide Freeway 318, one of many world’s longest, repeatedly numbered routes, which covers 5,476 kilometers from Shanghai within the east to the Chinese language-Nepalese border within the west.
Freeway 318 winds its method alongside the northern thirtieth parallel like a huge slalom all the way in which throughout the nation, from the great Jangtse Plain within the east, previous the cities of Wuhan and Chengdu, and up the Hengduan Mountains, towering over China. The route travels by means of cities with populations within the hundreds of thousands, by means of lonely desert and spectacular mountain passes, 4 of which attain elevations of greater than 5,000 meters. Pastures, river valleys, steppes, rocky deserts, glaciers, mountain lakes, gorges, rainforests, and mountains – the panorama is consistently altering its face. Equally numerous are the villages, fields, delicacies, and customs within the completely different areas, which line Nationwide Freeway 318 like pearls on a necklace.
“Go in every single place quick“: Porsche expedition by means of China
Porsche launched into an expedition like no different in spring 2025. Within the lead-up to departure, the highway journey was marketed with the motto and clear assertion “Go in every single place, quick.” The concept was to share this distinctive expertise with as many individuals as doable. The Porsche China group crew determined to go along with a relay idea. A journey time of 44 days was estimated for your entire route, which might be damaged down into 12 phases, with two days deliberate for the shorter stretches and 5 days for the longest legs within the mountains. This made it doable to supply each intensive and extraordinary driving experiences throughout the highway journey.
The appliance course of for the highway journey was open to Porsche clients and members of Porsche Membership China. There have been additionally media representatives and influencers from the Chinese language platforms Douyin and Weibo. There was an enormous response to the decision for functions. “The slogan ‘Go in every single place, quick’ gained me over,” says Porsche driver Qiu Jie from Shanghai, who utilized proper after the advert appeared on-line and received fortunate. “Now I’m right here, driving these improbable autos and experiencing a wonderfully orchestrated journey,” she provides. “For me, velocity doesn’t essentially imply being quick. It’s extra about precision, ardour, perfection. It has to do together with your outlook on life.”
Wan Fang, who works for a consulting firm in Shanghai, was additionally instantly thrilled by the thought of navigating Nationwide Freeway 318 – since you “need to drive it at the very least as soon as in your life.” He selected the legs from Wuhan to Yichang after which on to Enshi. “Every thing I knew about this area I discovered in geography class. I received to expertise all 4 seasons by means of the windshield in just some hours as I made my method up the mountain. It was spectacular.” He spent the morning driving alongside fields of flowers after which reached an elevation of greater than 1,000 meters within the early afternoon, with snow all the way in which as much as the sting of the highway. The car Wan Fang selected was the all-electric Macan. “I used to be within the expertise. And what actually gained me over was the dealing with on hairpin turns alongside the mountain passes. This electrical SUV can also be perfect for longer stretches. It’s each extraordinarily agile and really snug.”
Observing all of the completely different points of the Porsche model, experiencing the Cayenne and Macan SUVs with completely different engines, and remembering the encounters, conversations, and actions throughout the highway journey as a once-in-a-lifetime journey – that was the mission of this behemoth challenge. In addition to to introduce 4 new particular fashions for the Chinese language market. The Energetic and Passive Editions of the Macan had been formally launched initially of the highway journey.
Energetic Version: tailored for China
And these new variations adopted shortly after for the Cayenne – on the Auto Shanghai exhibition on the finish of April. The members of the highway journey got a formidable taster of the brand new fashions, as they took to the highway within the Energetic Editions of the 2 SUVs. The autos goal a youthful, extra lively buyer base that’s all in favour of outside experiences and journey journey, which is why the journey was not designed to be an countless automobile drive, however as a substitute would function completely different stops alongside the way in which. That gave members the chance to go on quick hikes, put their climbing abilities to the check, be taught the artwork of tea choosing from native famers, or rappel down vertical cliff partitions.
The brand new Energetic Editions not solely boast the unique paint colour Oak Inexperienced Metallic Neo and the matching wheels in Vesuvius Gray, but in addition function an off-road package deal together with a chrome steel skid plate in addition to aluminum roof rails for mounting roof tents and baggage racks. There’s additionally the ventilated seats, a compass show within the cockpit, and a 360-degree digital camera system that’s particularly useful the extra demanding the route and the rougher the terrain. “The Energetic Version extras make the driving expertise within the Cayenne and Macan all of the extra intense – notably on bumpy roads and off-road tracks,” studies 40-year-old Dong Liang, who has been the Chief Teacher at Porsche China for 3 years.
“With its extremes that, in precept, mirror the total lifetime of the car, the journey ought to present how properly the Cayenne and Macan drive in any circumstances. In any case, most Cayenne and Macan homeowners in China drive on metropolis streets and infrequently ever make it out to extra demanding routes and even off-road.”
Nationwide Freeway 318 affords the perfect terrain
These driving impressions had been collected throughout the broadest spectrum doable throughout the highway journey. “It additionally reveals that Porsche builds versatile SUVs that may adapt to completely different existence,” says Dong Liang. Nationwide Freeway 318 was the perfect terrain – as there have been typically detours to racecourses and off-road tracks alongside the route.
An vital ingredient of the journey was the truth that members had been in a position to swap autos and thus acquire completely different impressions. “There’s no denying that Porsche has created a dream automobile,” says an exuberant Cao Yang on the finish of the day. The 43-year-old cofounder of a basic automobile dealership in Suzhou drove the Cayenne for the primary part of the leg from Chongqing to Chengdu. “The engineers did an incredible job with the drive and steering, after all, but in addition with parts just like the therapeutic massage perform. These seat massages may be very intensive in lots of Chinese language autos. Within the Cayenne, nevertheless, they’re a lot gentler and subsequently perfect for heading off fatigue with out distracting you from driving.”
Zhuang Chunchao, a 28-year-old e-commerce entrepreneur, was behind the wheel of a Macan – and was the one buyer to take part in all 12 phases of the highway journey. “To me, the automobile appears like a raised 911. The ahead thrust of the all-electric mannequin is explosive, whereas the steering works with surgical precision. I saved questioning if I used to be actually driving an SUV.” For Zhuang Chunchao, the Porsche model is like an “engineering faith that all the time focuses on the motive force.”
For her half, Yang Liping, 57 years previous, retired and dwelling in Beijing, was stunned at simply how “merely and easily” the Cayenne and Macan drive. “The vehicles remained completely composed even on very tough stretches of highway.” And each the autos and the highway journey characterize a very good instance of the pursuit of perfection. “I actually respect the philosophy of ‘no restrict’ that Porsche communicates.”
Internet hosting experiences as solely Porsche can
Alexander Pollich, who has been in control of Porsche enterprise in China since September, is delighted to listen to that, after all. In any case, the goal of the spectacular highway journey alongside Nationwide Freeway 318 was not solely to introduce the brand new editions, but in addition – and extra importantly – to host a rare journey stuffed with experiences as solely Porsche can. “The core values of our model are goals, freedom, and velocity. And the highway journey from one finish of China to the opposite supplied our clients with the chance to expertise these values in an actual situation,” says Pollich. “The brand new editions are loyal companions for any journey you can expertise behind the wheel.”
On the grand opening of the Auto Shanghai exhibition in late April – that’s the place the Porsche caravan was throughout the second-to-last leg of the highway journey – Porsche Chairman of the Govt Board Oliver Blume and Alexander Pollich launched the 2 particular fashions Cayenne Energetic Version and Macan Energetic Version. A reside video of the highway journey alongside Freeway 318, with the Cayenne and Macan Energetic Editions collectively on route, was proven to applause. There are legendary roads and there are legendary vehicles – it’s a stroke of luck when the 2 come collectively.
Information
Textual content first revealed within the Porsche journal Christophorus 415.
Textual content: Sven Freese
Bilder: Porsche
Copyright: All photos, movies and audio recordsdata revealed on this article are topic to copyright. Replica in entire or partly will not be permitted with out the written consent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Please contact christophorus@porsche.de for additional info.
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