Porsche puts safety first for any vehicle, says MD Anil Reddi

On Saturday, April 25, Pune-based billionaire industrialist and car aficionado Yohan Poonawalla's 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo caught fire on Bandra's Hill Road. Since the incident, a back and forth ensued between Porsche and Poonawalla, but now, the disagreement between the two is slowly moving towards a resolution.

Reacting to the problems between Yohan Poonawalla and the German carmaker, another automobile enthusiast, Gautam Singhania, said that the auto company should be more prompt in attending to buyers' complaints.

In a chat with ETPanache, Porsche India's MD Anil Reddi revealed that Poonawalla has just consented to an inspection.

How do Porsche and Anil Reddi respond to the allegations by Yohan Poonawalla?

We have remained in regular contact with Poonawalla since we have been informed about the incident. During the past weeks we have tried to get permission to conduct a technical inspection of the vehicle in question by a specialist from Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Germany to determine the possible reason for the incident. The approval of the owner is pending (Porsche has since then received Poonawalla's consent). As an engineering company, Porsche puts safety first for any vehicle we bring to market. Hence, the matter is taken very seriously.

How does Porsche respond to Singhania's calling out to ban the company in India?

We always communicate with our customers directly and maintain a close relationship with them throughout their ownership — something that is very important to us at Porsche.

Also read: Porsche should be a man & accept defect in Yohan Poonawalla's car, says Raymond Group's Gautam Singhania

After Gautam Singhania publicly called Porsche India's management and Anil Reddi "arrogant", said that Porsche uses "substandard products" and called for ban on Porsche imports, did he reach out to Porsche directly to convey his displeasure?

We are aware of media reports quoting Gautam Singhania. He has not communicated with us directly.

What has been the latest and recent verbal or written communication of Porsche with Yohan Poonawalla after his Porsche caught fire in Mumbai last month?

We had asked the owner of the vehicle for permission to conduct a technical inspection of the car by an expert from our Headquarters in Germany. The day before, Poonawalla has given his consent for a technical inspection. We will now proceed to secure the earliest possible date for the same with our headquarters in Germany and will keep Poonawalla informed as well.

Also read: Yohan Poonawalla's driver has a close shave as billionaire's Porsche goes up in flames

Have you had an episode like this in the past where an investigator had to come down to India? What is the procedure there and what happens after that?

This procedure is unprecedented for Porsche India and we take this incident seriously, proven by our decision to send an expert from Germany to ensure maximum safety across the entire model range. Our future course of action will depend upon the findings of the technical inspection.