Luxury Audit: Porsche Canada President & CEO Trevor Arthur

I sat down for a chat with Trevor Arthur, President & CEO of Porsche Canada, just before Christmas, at the new Porsche Experience Centre Toronto, already a fan of Porsche. For a decade I have driven luxury cars – BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Lincoln, Volvo. There has been nothing that has compared to the Porsche experiences.

The new Experience Centre is where those who have purchased new Porsche vehicles can experience one-on-one education sessions with instructors, so they get the most out of their new personalized vehicle when the pick it up. The “reveal room” at the Experience Centre is when everything becomes real for people, as they’re handed their new car for the first time.

The timing for the sit down was good. In January Porsche Canada announced that Plug & Charge functionality for all Macan Electric and model year 2026 Taycan models was now available on the Tesla Supercharger network via the Porsche Charging Service, making the charging process more efficient and seamless. There are over 27,500 Tesla Superchargers in North America.

Porsche Cars Canada reported a slight dip in sales in the country in 2025 – 10,010, down 3.5% from the prior year. However Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicles sales were at 4,295 for the year, an increase of 4.7% from 2024.

What Makes a Porsche an Aspirational Car for People?

“I think that really is very personal to every one of our buyers. You know, I’ve certainly met so many over my 17 years with the brand, and many will tell me – and this is, I think, the common thread – that for many of them, it’s a representation of how hard they’ve worked and how long they aspired to it and really have had that goal of purchasing a Porsche. Often it’s a gift or reward to themselves and it’s a reflection of what they have worked so hard to get to. And there’s obviously many choices that our buyers could choose to reflect that.

I think that’s what it really boils down to – some people will buy it because it represents their personality and it depends model to model what that is. If you look at a 911 GT3 RS – many of those are buyers have a different personality than somebody that purchased the GT3 Touring, or a Taycan, or Cayenne. I don’t think that there is a standard answer as to what drives that aspiration.”

“A common thread through our entire product line from a 911 to a Taycan to a Cayenne is that we offer the Porsche that best fits each customer. We really look at luxury as choice. You know, it’s not just whether you choose a 911 or a Cayenne. It’s a matter of what makes sense to you. It could be combustion engine, it could be hybrid, or it could be fully electric.

“And then when you get into the individualization, I mean, the ability to individualize your Porsche – it really allows them to express their individual personality. And it could be that they want something that focuses on the core of what the car is. Or it could be something that has, you know, an entire list of options that are three pages long. I think what’s really cool is that you can get everything you want, and nothing you don’t need.”

Tell Us About the Reveal Room at the Experience Centre? This Is Where a Individual’s Personalized Car Is Delivered to Them for the First Time?

“They can, and it actually starts one room over in our Fitting Lounge. If you wanted to sit down and build something really exclusive, we have a team that can come and sit there and they can design out the exact Porsche that you want, and then they would share that back with your local Porsche Centre, whether you live in Winnipeg or you live in Halifax, we would share that build back. The dealer transactionally takes care of all of that.

“Then, when the car arrives, there is an option – we call it the new vehicle delivery program – where the car would arrive at Halifax port, and rather than shipping it out to Winnipeg, we would ship it here, and you could take physical delivery here and then either drive it out to Winnipeg or opt to ship it out to Winnipeg after.

“So of course, if you take delivery here, that includes time down on our driving modules as well as a lunch. It can be like Christmas. We’ve seen it where 20 people want to come and really celebrate the delivery, and we’ve seen it where it’s very private, where it’s simply a couple or the owner and a friend come and take deliveries. Yeah, we really personalize it to what the actual customer wants to do.”

So the Objective Is To Offer a Bespoke Luxury Experience?

“That’s absolutely what the intent is. You know, we were taking a look at it: back in 2019, we had 600 options that were considered Exclusive Manufaktur. So these are options that aren’t standard factory bills. We had 600 back in 2019. In 2023, we had more than 1,000 of these options. So, we’ve continued to expand the ability to truly personalize and individualize your Porsche.

“Coming back to your first question, I think that’s part of the aspiration as well, that it’s not just going down to your local retailer and then just taking something from inventory. And it’s always the best when somebody takes their time to make the purchase. You know, they take six or eight months, and they visit the Porsche Centre, they talk about what they’re really looking for, and then they sit down and build the car.

“Often, they then go home and they think about it. Do I go with those different rims? I think I want to go with that colour interior instead. It’s a process. And then you land on it and then you say that’s it. Yes, that’s the car. And then when they get there, they get to talk to family and friends about that car. I sat down and it took me X number of hours or days. It’s my car. No one else designed my car.”

Are There Any Characteristics Among Canadian Porsche Customers That Makes It Different Than Other Countries?

“I’m Canadian, of course, myself. But, you know, I just spent time down in the United States for the last eight years, and I’ve been back in Canada for one year.  And so I’ll draw on that experience.

“I don’t see significant differences from a Canadian buyer to a US buyer, for example, other than I think Canadians are better planners. Canadians love to take the time and they know that there are lead times and I would say that that’s just who we are as Canadians. We’re very forward thinking, we’re great at planning and we take the time to make sure that we’re getting the exact car we want. So, I would say that is a bit of a differentiator.

“But frankly, I’ve met a lot of Porsche owners from around the world, and I’ve got to say that I can’t say there’s anything very specifically unique. There is a common passion and a common language. I mean, it doesn’t matter whether you’re from New York, LA, Toronto, or Stuttgart. When you get two or four of those customers together, all they want to do is talk about their experience with their vehicle and with the brand.”

What Can We Expect To See in 2026, With More of a Push on the Electric Side?

“The strategy for us is very clear. It’s making sure that we give the choice to our customers and provide them exactly what they want, whether that is a fully battery-electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid which we offer through the Panamera and the Cayenne lineup, and we have electric with Taycan and Macan – and now the new Cayenne Electric.

“I think the big thing is to continue to foster that choice.”

“When it comes to battery electric vehicles, I think our best example is the new Cayenne Electric that’ll be out in Canada in the summer of 2026. A fun fact for you: it is the most powerful production Porsche has ever built. You can get a Cayenne Turbo with 1,139 horsepower, zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 2.5 seconds. That’s one tenth of a second quicker than the 918 Spyder supercar in 2015. It will be the first Porsche that will have an option for inductive charging.

“So, no plugging in anymore for charging at home. And it can charge from 10 to 80% in under 16 minutes. I think that’s what we must continue to do for all those customers that have that interest, we have to remove any barriers in terms of what they’re currently thinking about battery electric vehicles.

“There’s no compromise. Any of our battery electric vehicles are pure Porsche. You can jump out of a 911 into a Taycan, back into a Cayman and then into a Macan Electric, and you will feel Porsche every time, absolutely all the way through it.”

In Terms of Slower Adoption of EVs in Canada, How Do You Get the Message out More, About the Benefits of These Vehicles?

“That’s the key, that people have to realize just how practically those cars fit into their lives. I think that’s the other thing as well. We are also seeing the Porsche Centres having more electric vehicles in their service loaner fleets because that’s a nice way for our customers to be able to experience it for the first time.

“You know, they come in and service their Cayenne ICE or Cayenne plug-in hybrid, and they drive out with a Macan Electric, and they drive it for a couple of days, and then they realize the way it handles, how efficient it is and that fits into their life. I think we all play have a role to play in that education as well.”

What Is Your Personal Definition of Luxury? What Does Luxury Mean to You?

“Personally for me it is choice. It’s experience over transaction as well.

“So to me, it’s that emotional connection. And I think we do a pretty good job of that as a brand. You know, we don’t see ourselves simply as a car company. We have a commitment to our owners, to our fans, to our enthusiasts, and that’s really what this building represents. So, this building is an extension of what I would consider luxury. We have a great dealer network with 23 Porsche Centres from coast to coast, and our dealer partners have stunning facilities.

“The Porsche Experience Centre is a place to celebrate car culture and the community. It’s also through Cars & Coffees that you can foster that community. We had an inaugural Cars & Coffee here, and we had 250 customers bringing their cars here for that event down on our dynamics pad. You could see the interaction between friends and strangers all day long. And we’re really proud of how our brand can bring community together and build relationships and connections.”

“And then the idea around choice, coming back to what I define luxury as, it is that it’s making sure that I get everything I want, nothing that I don’t.

“And I think that’s Porsche – from our options list, you could take a vehicle that has very few options in it, and it is still going to be an incredible vehicle. Or you can build a car that has three pages of options and that is totally individualized to you. To me, that’s what defines luxury.”

The Question About How Luxury Is Evolving; That’s What This Site Represents, Right? It’s More Experience.

“It’s absolutely the experience, and for us, we want to welcome everyone. The PEC Toronto is open to the public from Wednesday through to Sunday, all year round.

“And we want people to come and visit at their own pace. If you want to come and just spend an hour in the sim lab and race any Porsche on any track against your friends, your family, and spend an hour there and then grab a coffee and just watch the action out on the circuit. That’s one way to build that connection. And if you want to be down on the circuit, well, that’s on another level. You will go out on the development circuit with a Porsche-certified instructor.

“And what I love about that is, that if you meet our instructors, they connect with every individual and they really measure where you are at and what you want to focus on, and they’ll push you out of your comfort zone, but only just past your comfort zone. They’re always going to build your confidence, your connection to the car. They want you to get out of the experience everything that you want to do without making it too intimidating in any way. And I think the more people we put down in our vehicles on that dynamic handling circuit, the more we will grow that connection to the brand.”

What’s Been the Response From Porsche Customers Coming out Here With the Instructors Going Around the Track?

“So far, it’s been overwhelmingly positive.

“As of January 1, this year, any new vehicle delivery of a new Porsche from Vancouver to Halifax comes with a complimentary 90-minute driving experience at the Porsche Experience Centre Toronto. And so, we’re already getting all those pre bookings from the deliveries that have happened over the last 11 months.

“Imagine: a customer takes delivery in Langley, British Columbia, at the beautiful facility with the incredible team at Porsche Centre Langley. Then, they can plan an entire vacation and during that come in and spend a day here and get down on our circuit and really experience our vehicles in their ideal settings. It’s an experience they will tell their friends and family about when they go back. It’s such a memory that they’ll take home, and it just brings them closer to the brand.

“We are also seeing from the local residents that there’s been a lot of interest in meeting with the community and doing more Cars & Coffee events here.

“I think what’s critical is to let everybody know that this place is open to the public. This isn’t just for Porsche customers. Whether you own a competitor vehicle, you have that hot rod or own a Porsche – we celebrate you. Just come and hang out.

“I mean, how many other venues are there across the country, doors wide open, just to celebrate your love for cars? That’s what this place is all about.”

To Have a One-on-One With an Instructor and To Actually Get To Drive on the Circuit, You Get a Real Education and Understand the Vehicle, What It Can Do Better.

“Another thing we have developed are comparison programs. Let’s say, you’re in the market to buy, but you don’t really know whether you want that Macan Electric or that Macan ICE. You can do a 45-minute split where you can drive out there on the electric and you can push it; you can break it hard. You can accelerate it hard; you can handle it on the drift circle. And then do the same in the other vehicle. Then you will certainly know which vehicle makes sense for you.

“We also have a rear-engine versus mid-engine program. So, you can come and drive a Cayman, and then also drive a 911. You will feel where that engine is in that car. You can feel the car. Try to think about that during a typical test drive at a Porsche Centre. You will never be able to get the same sense for it.

“You know you are driving two great cars, but to differentiate and to know which one is the better fit for you is hard with a regular road test drive. Here, we see people that walk out of the facility and they go: ‘It’s crystal clear to me now. I know which car I want.'”