Porsche has announced the introduction of its new Boxster, which arrives wearing an all-new body and a completely revised chassis. Available in both Boxster and Boxster S forms, the car features new flat-six engines with direct injection, and together with a considerably lower weight, longer wheelbase, widened track and larger wheels, promises a new level of driving dynamics.

Styling-wise, the Boxster now has shorter front and rear overhangs, a significantly forward-shifted windscreen, flatter silhouette and expressive edges. Inside, the passengers are enclosed by a new fully electric hood, which now dispenses with a compartment lid for the convertible top when stowed.

The interior of the new car reflects the new Porsche outline, with its distinctive centre console – originating in the Carrera GT – improving ergonomics. There’s also more space for the driver and passenger.

In terms of engines, the Boxster’s 2.7 litre mill – which is based on the 3.4 litre engine of the Boxster S – offers 265 hp, which is 10 hp more than its larger capacity predecessor. As for the 3.4 litre unit in the Boxster S, there’s 315 hp on call, five horsepower more than before.

Both models feature a manual six-speed gearbox as standard, with the seven-speed dual-clutch Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) available as an option. Performance specs include a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds for the Boxster and 5.0 seconds for the Boxster S.

Equipment levels on the Boxster include an Alcantara interior, 18-inch alloy wheels, Auto stop/start and Sports mode, remote control hood operation, audio CD with a 7-inch colour touchscreen and a universal audio interface offering MP3 connectivity. Meanwhile, the Boxster S adds 19-inch alloy wheels, partial leather interior and Bi-Xenon headlights.

New to the car is the Sport Chrono Package option featuring Dynamic Transmission Mounts. Also new in the Boxster is the option of Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), with a mechanical rear limited slip differential.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyre has been picked by Porsche as the OE tyre for the its newly launched 911. Goodyear’s ultra high performance (UHP) segment contender will be used for the popular 19-inch wheel fitment on the Carrera 2. Sizes are 235/40 up front and fat 285/35 donuts at the back. As many would know, Porsche and Bibendum are close buddies, so this is quite a coup for Goodyear.

The iconic 911 has a unique rear engined, RWD configuration, and those rear Goodyears will have to put down 350 hp and 380 Nm of torque from Zuffenhausen’s 3.4-litre six-pot boxer engine. Even sports cars like the 911 cannot ignore fuel consumption and emissions figures, and the new Carrera 2 uses 1.6 litres less fuel per 100 km than its predecessor.

The Eagle F1 A2 comes with Goodyear’s FuelSaving Technology. This tech is driven by reduced tyre weight and a new ‘high surface’ silica grade that contributes to reduced heat generation, lowering rolling resistance as a result. The A2 also features the latest ActiveBraking Technology using innovative 3D block design within the tyre tread.

The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 was officially launched in Asia three months ago in Hua Hin, Thailand. We were at the Kaengkrachan Circuit near the seaside town to sample the tyre. Click here to read the full story.

Recent 911 Cabriolets were slightly awkward looking, like hunchbacks, but fat. This is the new Porsche 911 Cabriolet based on the 991 Coupe that made its debut in September in Frankfurt. Like the tin top, the Cabrio looks leaner and more dynamic than the 997 based roadster. It’s lighter than before, too.

The big news here is that the roof is an all new design. Throwing out the multi-layered fabric item from the 997, this hood uses a fabric skinned composite panel, which provides a nicer shape and a better fit. Porsche also says that this new roof, which takes just 11 seconds to raise or stow, is more resistant to high speed buffeting. There’s also an automatic wind deflector.

The roof is laid on a magnesium frame, and the glass rear window is glued directly to the outer fabric skin. The lowering and closing process can be done at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Powertrains are identical to the Coupe. The Cabrio’s backside houses a 3.4-litre flat six with 350 hp/380 Nm driving the rear wheels via the world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox. The Carrera S Cabriolet comes with a 3.8-litre flat six with 400 hp and 440 Nm. Porsche’s twin-clutch Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) will be a popular option, delivering better fuel consumption and acceleration than the stick shift.

Zuffenhausen says that with the longer wheelbase (stretched by 100 mm to 2,450 mm), the wider front track and the new electro-mechanical power steering, the new Cabriolets offer sportier driving characteristics, greater precision and agility.

How does it look like with a fixed roof again? View a gallery of the 911 Coupe here and some videos here.

Porsche has announced the introduction of the Panamera GTS, and the normally-aspirated
4.8 litre V8 that this one wears has 30 PS and 20 Nm more torque compared to the Panamera S and 4S, in this case 430 PS at 6,700 rpm and 520 Nm at 3,500 rpm. Performance figures for the 1,920 kg GTS, equipped with a seven-speed PDK gearbox, are a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 secs and a 288 km/h top speed.

The car gets distinctive exterior cues inspired by the Turbo – it features the standard front section of the Sport-Design package of the Panamera Turbo, as well as the adaptive four-way rear spoiler from the latter.

It’s also characterised by numerous black exterior styling details – for starters, there’s a high-gloss black exterior package comprised of side window trim, the decorative trim on the rear lid, the headlight washer unit cover, the rear diffuser and the side air outlet panels. Add in black side skirts and matte black tailpipes of the sports exhaust system and it’s a pretty comprehensive blackening process.

A further point of differentiation comes in the form of the Bi-Xenon headlights with black inner bezels. These feature four LED daytime running lights each, and like the Turbo’s, are located in the main headlight. The car also gets an optional Carmine Red shade, available exclusively for it.

Inside, the black interior gets decorative stitching in Carmine Red or GT Silver on the foot mats, top of the dashboard, upper edge of the door, armrest, door trim and centre console, the door closing handle as well as with the seat stitching. And to ensure you know which Panamera you’re driving, the stainless steel front door entry guards feature ‘Panamera GTS’ lettering, and GTS lettering is also shown on the instrument cluster and on the embroidered headrests.

The equipment list includes Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) – in tandem with the electronically-controlled rear axle differential lock and PTV Plus – and adaptive air suspension combined with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM).

The Panamera GTS sits 10 mm lower than the other models in the Panamera range, and its damping is designed to be tauter. Elsewhere, the car wears 19-inch Panamera Turbo wheels, 5 mm rear wheel spacers and larger brake discs from the Turbo, recognisable by their red brake callipers.

The standard sports exhaust system comes with larger pipe diameters to reduce back pressure, and features two tuning flaps which expose additional exhaust openings, thereby emitting an even more powerful sound. The flaps are controlled by means of a switch in the centre console, which features a “last mode” function that remembers the last setting and restores it when the engine is started.

Elsewhere, there’s also the Sound Symposer, which directs intake noise into the interior at the push of a button. This is achieved by an acoustic channel picking up the intake vibrations between the throttle valve and air filter – the acoustic channel incorporates a membrane that transmits the vibrations as an engine sound into the A-pillar. A controllable valve located in front of the membrane enables the Sound Symposer to be activated or deactivated by means of the Sport button.

Yes, believe it, this is the new seventh-generation Porsche 911 Carrera. Despite the same same looks, Porsche is calling this ’991′ model ‘completely redesigned’. Try mocking their lazy designers and you’ll get this for an answer: ‘evolution, not revolution’.

At 2,450 mm, the new 911′s wheelbase has been stretched by 100 mm. Zuffenhausen did not reveal the dimensions, but Autocar UK quotes insiders saying that it’s 56 mm longer, 65 mm wider and 11 mm lower than the 997. Compared to that car, the 991 body, with its aluminum-steel composite construction, is 45 kg lighter. The combo of a bigger footprint, lower height and reduced weight sounds good.

It might take an avid 911 fan to spot, but the 991′s side mirrors are now mounted on the upper edge of the door. Porsche says that this helps highlight the new design line and gives the visual impression of width. The iconic silhouette of the 48-year old model is unchanged, but there’s a wider, variably extending rear spoiler at the back, which features slim tail lamps that should be the 991′s most distinct signature.

The spoiler, combined with greater structural rigidity and optimised aerodynamics, means that the 991′s front and rear lift has been reduced to near zero while retaining the Cd value of 0.29.

The new Carrera and Carrera S boast better performance and efficiency. The latter is aided by automatic start stop, engine and transmission thermal management, electrical system recuperation, the world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox and the ability to ‘sail’ or coast with the PDK transmission. There’s also a new electro-mechanical power steering in place of the hydraulic setup.

The 911 Carrera is powered by a new 350 hp/380 Nm, 3.4-litre boxer engine, down in size from the current 3.6L. Paired to PDK, it consumes just 8.2 l/100 km, 1.6 l/100 km less than its predecessor. That, plus a century sprint time of just 4.4 seconds (4.2 seconds with Sport Chrono Package’s Launch Control) means it can be all the 911 you need.

If not, there’s the Carrera S with its 400 hp/440 Nm, 3.8-litre boxer – 15 horses more than before. The S achieves 8.7 l/100 km, 14% better than the outgoing car. 0-100 km/h is done in 4.1 seconds, or 3.9 with Launch Control. The S also features for the first time, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active roll stabilisation.

Inside, it’s still very much a 911, but with a touch more flair than before. Inspired by the Carrera GT are the rising center console and high-mounted shift lever. Classic Porsche elements include the five round gauges – one of them a high res multifunction screen – the central tachometer and the ignition lock to the left of the steering wheel.

As usual, Carrera and Carrera S models start the ball rolling, followed by Cabriolet and 4S variants (2012) and the range topping Turbo (2013). More pics after the jump.
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