Why Porsche couldn't use 'Safari' nametag for the 911 Dakar

Krickelberg also revealed that a concept version of the off-road focussed 911 was developed way back in 2012.

Porsche unveiled its off-road focussed 911 supercar last year. Called the Porsche 911 Dakar, the model pays tribute to the brand's Dakar Rally wins in 1984 and 1986. However, initially, the car was expected to be called the 911 Safari - a throwback to the original from the 1970s, which participated in off-road races like the East African Safari.

Now, according to media reports, Porsche has revealed why the 'Safari' nomenclature was replaced with the 'Dakar' name. As per Thomas Krickelberg, Program Director of 911 Dakar, the Safari name was Option A for the brand, however, Indian carmaker Tata Motors, who owns the copyrights for the 'Safari' nametag, didn't give Porsche permission to use it for their off-road 911. Hence, Porsche decided to rename the 4x4 supercar - Dakar.

Krickelberg also stated that it wasn't easy to get hold of the 'Dakar' name either. Porsche had to get permission & pay an undisclosed sum for the rights to the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the Dakar Rally.

Krickelberg also revealed that a concept version of the off-road focussed 911 was developed way back in 2012. Production of the model could also have started as early as 2016 had the momentum for the off-road version not stalled within the company. With the launch of the new 992-gen in 2020, the Dakar version was greenlit once again.

Source: Edmunds