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  • New 981 Boxster and Panamera GTS launched at Porsche Motorsport Week – roadster priced from RM450k

    In Cars, Local News, Porsche / By / / 20 comments

    The new Porsche Boxster and Panamera GTS made their local debut yesterday afternoon at the Sepang International Circuit, where official distributor Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) is having the Porsche Motorsport Week 2012.

    The event, held to reward SDAP customers, combines two activities – Porsche Driving Experience (skid pad, moose test, brake test, slalom in various models) and Porsche Circuit Training. The latter gives participants a chance to push cars like the latest 911 and Cayman R on the full Sepang track. Porsche Motorsport Week started yesterday and will run till Saturday.

    “Motorsport is the heart of Porsche and this is precisely why we introduce more and more driving activities on the track. We want our customers to experience the brand and the car, and to understand how to maximize the performance of the car as well as safe driving,” explained Arnt Bayer, CEO of SDAP.

    On to the cars. Announced earlier this year, the 981 Boxster comes with an all-new lightweight body design and a revamped chassis, not to mention sleeker, more dynamic looks. The new cabin is a huge improvement as well. The red example at the launch really got me drooling!

    The lady in red is a fit one. At 1,310 kg (1,320 kg for the Boxster S), the two-seater roadster is lighter than its predecessor and also three of its German rivals. This is despite better performance and a larger footprint – the 981 has a longer wheelbase, wider tracks and larger wheels.

    The fully electric roof is new, too. It does its thing in nine seconds, and can be operated at speeds of up to 50 km/h.

    The base Boxster is powered by a 2.7-litre flat-six with 265 hp and 280 Nm of torque from 4,500 to 6,500 rpm. This engine is downsized by 187 cc, but packs in 10 hp more, and is also 15% less thirsty. 0-100 km/h is done in 5.5 seconds on to a 262 km/h top speed.

    Meanwhile, the Boxster S is motivated by a 3.4-litre flat-six with 315 hp and 360 Nm of torque from 4,500 to 5,800 rpm. The S does the century sprint in 4.8 seconds, and has a 277 km/h top speed. Both boxers have direct injection, VarioCam Plus, auto start/stop, electrical system recuperation and enhanced thermal management.

    All times are with the optional (and desirable) Sport Chrono Package, which brings dynamic transmission mounts, a Sport Plus button and an analogue stopwatch into the picture, among other things. In Malaysia, the Boxster comes only with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK gearbox.

    Claimed fuel consumption is 7.7 litres per 100 km for the Boxster and 8.0 litres per 100 km for the Boxster S. Also new to this model is Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical rear axle diff lock.

    The Panamera GTS is the other car in the spotlight. GTS stands for Gran Turismo Sport and this is the purist member of the Panamera range, according to Porsche.

    The naturally-aspirated 4.8 litre V8 engine from the standard car has been massaged to deliver 30 horses more at 430 hp. Max torque is also up by 20 Nm to 520 Nm. PDK and Sport Chrono are standard – both combine with the V8 to push this big car to 100 km/h in under 4.5 seconds. Top speed is 288 km/h. Redline has been increased by 400 rpm to 7,100 rpm.

    Along with the stronger engine, the Panamera GTS gets upgraded brakes (from the Panamera Turbo), a 10 mm lowered body, air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management. PASM is an electronic active damping control system with three modes – Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

    Looks wise, the GTS adopts many styling cues from the Turbo such as the bi-xenons with four LED DRLs, SportDesign front apron, 19-inch wheels, red brake calipers and rear spoiler. The latter rises upwards and outwards from 90 km/h. Lots of Alcantara and GTS logos in the cabin.

    The Malaysian spec GTS comes with 20-inch RS Spyder wheels, eight-way powered seats, four-zone air con, electric rear blinds and Porsche Communication Management including a HDD-based navi system.

    Prices start from RM450k for the Boxster and RM550k for the Boxster S. The Panamera GTS will set you back RM1,050,000. Prices do not include registration fee, road tax and insurance. Buy your Porsche from SDAP and you’ll get a four-year warranty and four-year complimentary service and maintainence package.

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  • Porsche will add a smaller sedan, code-named Pajun

    In Cars, International News, Porsche / By / / 14 comments

    The Panamera will no longer be Porsche’s only four-door child. The baby Pana, codenamed Pajun, will be introduced by 2017 and will bring the total model lines to six.

    Price tag for the Pajun will be between 65,000 euros and 100,000 euros. Porsche’s new sedan will compete with the Mercedes-Benz E class and CLS coupe cars, says Auto Bild. However, the German car magazine did not cite any sources.

    Porsche may also add another model to the line up, bringing the total to seven from the current four – 911, Boxster/Cayman series, Cayenne and Panamera. The fifth, the Macan compact SUV, will go into production next year.

    The Pajun code name stands for Panamera Junior, similiar to the Macan’s code name which was Cajun, or Cayenne junior.

     

  • Porsche Engineering buys Italian test track

    In Cars, International News, Porsche / By / / 21 comments

    Click to enlarge. Picture from Google Earth.

    It is a piece of land that covers more than 700 hectares, hosts a 6.2 km long handling circuit, a 12.5 km long oval circuit, and facilities for simulating different road surfaces and changeable weather conditions. And it can be seen from space.

    Welcome to the Nardo Technical Centre automotive proving ground in Apulia, southern Italy. What was once belongs to Prototipo SpA has now been bought by Porsche Engineering Group for an undisclosed amount. Porsche will officially open shop May 2012.

    Click to enlarge. Picture from Google Earth.

    The procurement of the test track will complement Porsche’s facilities in Weissach, especially in the areas of high-speed and handling. Porsche is also open to clients who want to make use of the test track for vehicle trials. The facilities also include dynamic surfaces, acoustics, workshops and off-road sections. The mild climate of the proving ground also enables Porsche to test vehicles throughout the year in three shifts around the clock, seven days a week.

    Recently, the track was used to film TopGear TV’s shootout between the Lamborghini Aventador, Noble M600 and McLaren MP4-12C.

     

  • Porsche Cayenne GTS set for Beijing debut – 420 hp V8

    In Cars, International News, Porsche / By / / 19 comments

    Porsche is lining up a world debut for this Cayenne GTS at the upcoming Auto China show in Beijing. The pillars of this new variant, which slots in between the Cayenne S and Turbo, is a more powerful engine, more dynamic power development, a tauter chassis with lower ride height and emphatically sporty equipment.

    The GTS is powered by an uprated version of the Cayenne S V8 engine. The 4.8L unit makes 420 hp here, 20 horses more than in the S. 0-100 km/h is done in just 5.7 seconds, two tenths faster than the S. Top speed is 261 km/h and NEDC fuel consumption stands at 10.7 litres per 100 km. An eight-speed Tiptronic S with auto start/stop does transmission duties.

    Porsche says that the GTS’ specially tuned chassis is more tautly tuned, and is lowered by 24 mm over the S. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is standard.

    Looks wise, the GTS borrows the face of the Cayenne Turbo, has frames and trim in high-gloss black, prominent side skirts and wider wheel arches as well as a distinctive roof spoiler with a twin-wing profile. The interior features leather with Alcantara elements. Front sports seats with eight adjustment options are also standard.

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  • RIP: Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, creator of the 911

    In Cars, Porsche / By / / 28 comments

    Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is mourning the loss of the father of the 911, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the Honorary President of the Supervisory Board. He died on April 5, 2012, in Salzburg. He was 76 years old.

    Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, or F.A. Porsche as called by his colleagues, was born on December 11, 1935 in Stuttgart and was the eldest son of Dorothea and Ferry Porsche, and the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the Porsche car brand.

    Automobiles dominated F.A. Porsche’s childhood as he spent plenty of time in Porsche’s construction areas and development workshops with his grandfather. In 1943, the family moved as well as the Porsche brand moved to Zell am See in Austria, where he attended school. He returned to Stuttgart in 1950 and furthered his education in the College of Design in Ulm.

    In 1958, F.A. Porsche, started in the design office of the former Dr. Ing hc F. Porsche KG. His first model was the successor to the 356 series. In 1962, he became the head of the Porsche Design Studio and debuted the Porsche 901 (or 911) a year later. Elements of his design and vision still live on the seventh generation 911 today. F.A. Porsche also designed the Formula 1 racecar type 804 and the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS – still considered as one of the most beautiful racing cars ever.

    He founded the ‘Porsche Design Studio’ when the Porsche car company was made into a limited company in 1971/72, which also saw the other family members retired from the car company’s business operations.

    In 1974, the headquarters of Porsche Design was relocated to Zell am See in Austria. In the following decades, he designed a number of men’s watches eyewear and writing instruments. Under the brand “Design by FA Porsche”, he and his team penned a variety of industrial products, household appliances and consumer good for internationally known clients.

    F.A. Porsche won countless honours and awards for his work as a car designer and his other designs. The “Comité International de Promotion et de Prestige” was honoured to him in 1968 for outstanding aesthetic design of the Porsche 911, while he was chosen as the Industrie Forum Design Hannover (iF) 1992 “award winners”. He earned the title of professor from the Austrian Federal President in 1999.

    Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was a Porsche AG shareholder and board member. From 1990 to 1993, F.A. Porsche held the role of supervisory board chairman and thus had large share of the economic turnaround of Porsche AG. In 2005 he handed over his mandate to his son Ferdinand Oliver and took the position of honourary chairman of the supervisory board.

    Matthias Müller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche AG, paid tribute to Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s services to the sports car manufacturer: “We mourn the death of our partner, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. As the creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture in our company that has shaped our sports cars to this very day. His philosophy of good design is a legacy to us that we will honour for all time.”

    An official memorial service will be held in Stuttgart at a later date.

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  • Porsche looking to get into Nigeria in a big way

    In Cars, International News, Porsche / By / / 10 comments

    Ah, more tales of the how to flaunt one’s wealth, and this one is from Nigeria. Sure, there’s plenty of disparity in the African state, which happens to be the continent’s second biggest economy, but oil has made for luxury entering the scene, and in a big way.

    So much so, the neatest way to show you’re rolling in the dough is by buying a spanking new European sports car, and Porsche is getting into the thick of things, hoping to catch a fair bit of the money being flung, Automotive News Europe reports.

    The automaker opened a new dealership last week in Victoria Island, Lagos’ swankiest district and home to a high concentration of millionaires. The likes of Lamborghini and Aston Martin are already around, but the Germans are adopting a different tack, offering the promise of sturdier offerings capable of taking on the country’s less than perfect roads.

    Of course, the faster way to go about it is working with places that offer better roads in the first place, and the capital, Abuja, offers just that. Newly built roads mean an easier means to market the likes of the 911, which was unveiled in the country at the launch. Porsche plans to set up an operation in the city, naturally.

    It’s estimated that around 200 Nigerians own Porsches, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s considerable in a country that is best described as enigmatic. Absolute poverty has increased to 60% of the population, but the economy grew by 7.68% in Q4 last year, one of the fastest in the world, and two Nigerians occupy places in the top five list of the richest men in Africa. Oil, of course, has been responsible for making many a multi-millionaire.

    The report says that Porsche is looking at selling 100 cars in Nigeria in 2012, and is hoping to get to a stable rate of shifting around 300 units a year as it goes along (in comparison, South Africa does 800 units a year). Average prices currently range between 21 million naira (US$133,000) to 30 million naira (US$190,000), the report adds.

    Oh, and as an aside, all that new found affluence is also good news for champagne – apparently, Nigeria is the number one consumer of bubbly in the continent, with 539,000 bottles guzzled in 2010, 50% more than that of the richer South Africa. Let’s drink to that.

     

  • New Porsche 911 prices released – RM800k and RM900k

    In Cars, Local News, Porsche / By / / 64 comments

    Last month, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP, the most delicious sounding acronym in the business) unveiled the seventh-generation Porsche 911 at Sepang, but didn’t give any Semenanjung prices, only the duty-free price list that read RM430k for the Carrera and RM490k for the Carrera S.

    Now, SDAP has released the price rich boys and girls outside of Langkawi have to pay to take one home – RM800k for the Carrera and RM900k for the Carrera S, inclusive of duties and taxes, but without registration fee, road tax and insurance. What’s included are a four-year factory warranty and four-year complimentary service and maintenance package.

    This latest 991 Series made its debut in Frankfurt last year. The Carrera is powered by a 3.4 litre flat-six (downsized from the previous 3.6 litre unit) with 350 hp and 390 Nm. It can do 0–100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds before reaching a 287 km/h top speed.

    The Carrera S retains a 3.8 litre engine, and its 400 hp/440 Nm output is 15 hp and 20 Nm more than before. This one does the century sprint in 4.1 seconds and tops out at 302 km/h. Both variants are equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.

    Click here for our launch report and gallery of the new 911.

     

  • Seventh-gen Porsche 911, the 991, launched in Malaysia

    In Cars, Local News, Porsche / By / / 50 comments

    Porsche’s seventh-generation 911 has arrived in town – the vehicle was officially introduced last night in Sepang by Sime Darby Auto Performance, not just to the press but a veritable host of Porsche customers.

    The 991 Series, which was announced last August before making its debut in Frankfurt a month later, is available in Carrera and Carrera S forms. The Carrera wears a 3.4 litre flat-six lump, and though downsized from the previous 3.6 litre displacement offers five horses more than before in terms of output, with 350 hp at 7,400 rpm. Maximum torque remains unchanged at 390 Nm, though now at 5,600 rpm compared to 4,400 rpm previously.

    The Carrera S, meanwhile, retains the 3.8 litre configuration for its mill, and of course power – as well as torque – are up, with the unit putting out 400 hp and 440 Nm, 15 hp and 20 Nm more than previously. Both variants are equipped with the seven-speed PDK transmission, with SDAP electing not to introduce the 991 with the new seven-speed manual box, though die-hard stick shifter fans can get such an example through request.

    We’ve already written about the car, so no point expounding too much about it again. Some quick points for a recap – for trivia, the company highlights the point that though it may not be obvious to the eye, 90% of the 991 is new (the platform among them), and the car is 14 seconds faster on the Nurburgring than its predecessor and offers 16% less fuel consumption than before.

    Additionally, the wheelbase is now longer, and combined with a wider track width at the front, offers the new car improved tracking and roll stability at high longitudinal and cornering speeds. Overhangs have also been trimmed.

    As for pricing, SDAP is in the process of finalising the prices for the new car, which should be completed in the next month or so – at the launch last night, only the duty-free (i.e Langkawi) pricing was available, and that’s RM430,000 for the Carrera and RM490,000 for the Carrera S. The cars come with a four-year free service/maintenance and warranty programme.

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  • Porsche’s new SUV to be called Macan, tiger in Indonesian

    In Cars, International News, Porsche / By / / 41 comments

    Porsche’s upcoming SUV will be called Macan. Sounding a lot like Malaysia’s favourite pastime, the name Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger. Porsche says that the tiger combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics – core characteristics of the new SUV.

    “The Macan combines all sports car characteristics with the benefits of an SUV and is a genuine Porsche. The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations,” said Bernhard Maier, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG.

    The Macan SUV, which is smaller than the super successful Cayenne, is a key pillar of the company’s Strategy 2018, by which the sports car manufacturer wishes to expand its model portfolio. Macan will roll off Porsche’s Leipzig factory in 2013.

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  • Owners learn the fun way at Porsche Circuit Training

    In Cars, Local News, Porsche / By / / 7 comments

    Cars are getting better and better, and most of us just scrape the surface when it comes to extracting the dynamic talents of our rides. Driving too hard on public roads is dangerous, so the best way is to join driver training programmes, such as the recent Shell Helix D-Academy defensive driving course, BMW Driver Training and Ford’s Driving Skills For Life.

    Earlier this week, Porsche owners got to know their cars more intimately at Sepang International Circuit. At the Porsche Circuit Training, over 30 participants trained their reflexes and pushed the limits of their sports machines. Models in action included the Cayman, Boxster and iconic 911.

    The day started early when registration started at 8:15 am, and participants rolled in to a race like atmosphere. Safety first, so a briefing session on safety tips covered techniques for steering positions, tyre forces, oversteer and understeer. Drivers were divided into four groups according to training level, with four instructors for each group of eight.

    SIC was divided into four quadrants. Each group was given 30 minutes to drive around and master each sector, while taking rotational turns for every driver to drive directly behind the instructor. This is the best way to learn the best lines. Then came the open track session using the full circuit. The Porsche Technical Support Team was on standby all throughout.

    The event concluded with a speech from Sime Darby Auto Performance CEO Arnt Bayer, certificate presentation and a dinner. As you can see from these pics posted on Sime Darby Auto Performance’s FB page, everyone had a good time.
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