Porsche Cars Canada officially broke ground on construction of its Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) in Pickering on July 22.

As the tenth in the world and third of its kind in North America, the future Porsche Experience Centre Toronto will be located on a dedicated, 20-acre site at the Durham Live development.

A casino and luxury hotel are currently operating, and the site will include a concert venue and more than 400,000 square feet of retail space. PEC Toronto is slated to open in 2024.

“The kick-off to this construction project represents the culmination of years of dedication and planning by teams on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Marc Ouayoun, President and CEO, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “More than a circuit, the future Porsche Experience Centre Toronto will represent a unique, exhilarating, and memorable place where visitors can fully immerse themselves in the brand and its products.”

PEC Toronto will be a brand park and major tourist destination where visitors can experience vehicle dynamics with guidance from Porsche instructors through various driving modules all year long. The centre will include a driving circuit over 2 kilometres in length specifically designed for Porsche cars. 

“Porsche is one of the world’s most iconic and prestigious brands, and we are thrilled that the PEC project will bring thousands of visitors to our city as they seek new, visceral, and memorable experiences, all within minutes of downtown Toronto,” said Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan.

Porsche has incorporated electric vehicle charging infrastructure into the experience centre’s plan. Moreover, the firm has placed significant emphasis on using an environmentally responsible layout for the design, build, and operation.

Global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK have designed the building and incorporated innovative technologies focused on sustainability.