What does telecom giant Vodafone Group and famed speedster manufacturer Porsche have in common? High speed, and a penchant to always try and up the volume (and speed).
Now, they will have more in common as Vodafone Group will be the Official Communication Partner of Porsche Motorsport when the automobile manufacturer enters the 2019/2020 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The telecom company will sponsor the Formula E team after agreeing to a 5-year deal.
This will be Vodafone’s most significant international sponsorship deal since their partnership with McClaren Mercedes that ended in 2013. The Formula 1 deal with McClaren was said to be worth as much as 75M USD a year but Formula E, which is only in its sixth season, will more likely be worth less at this time.
According to a statement, “Vodafone branding will be visible on the first all-electric racing cars in Porsche’s history, as well as the drivers’ uniforms, when the team makes its debut in November 2019… [the sponsorship also] includes the provision of communications equipment and technical support.”
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, said: “Vodafone has been a long-term partner of Porsche Motorsport and is helping us to develop both racing and street vehicle technology. We know Vodafone strongly believes in the innovative mission of Formula E and we are thrilled to have them by our side as Porsche Motorsport enters this new racing class.”
In addition to the Formula E partnership, Vodafone will also collaborate with Porsche Motorsport in esports, although no information has surfaced on what that could be so far.
Ahmed Essam, Chief Commercial Officer of Vodafone Group, said, “There’s a natural alignment for Vodafone with Formula E, a next generation, technology driven sport that appeals to a broad and ever-growing audience and that has concern for the planet at its heart. We have a very positive working relationship with Porsche and together we’ll look to break boundaries in vehicle technology.”
This is not the first connection between Porsche Motorsport and Vodafone, as Vodafone Business already has a strong history of technology development with Porsche’s parent company, Volkswagen Group. Vodafone is also one of Volkswagen Group’s FAST partners – a small group involved in automotive and transportation research and development.
According to the previous statement, “Porsche was Vodafone’s first connected car customer and the companies have worked together in recent years to add a number of features to high end models including: locking and unlocking via a mobile phone app; vehicle location tracking as an anti-theft service; and proactive preventative maintenance through monitoring car functions like fuel, oil pressure and tire pressure.”
