Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Emergency services opt for luxury

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-11 08:51

BERLIN - Emergency patients in the German city of Stuttgart will be rushed to hospital with extra speed and style after the fire brigade added two custom-made luxury Porsche cars to its fleet.

A row of Porsche Cayenne are pictured in front of carpenters as they stand on the roof of a construction site during a topping-out ceremony at the Porsche plant in the eastern German city of Leipzig April 12, 2007. [Agencies]

Each Cayenne model, a SUV worth about 70,000 euros, is equipped with a siren which Porsche says can be better heard by drivers and pedestrians and clears the roads faster.

"It was a difficult process; the interior had to be completely changed," Porsche spokesman Heiner von der Laden said Wednesday.

"We had to equip a standard model with ECG, defibrillator, oxygen supply and other medical apparatus."

Many other German cities use Mercedes and Volkswagen for their emergency medical services. Porsche said its reputation for quality and speed helped it win the deal in Stuttgart, where the company is based.

Porsche executive Thomas Edig said the company does not plan to pursue more business in the medical emergency services sector. Moscow is the only other city to use the prestigious luxury brand as an emergency vehicle, Porsche said.