Porsche to Launch New Boxster and Boxster S in November

Porsche announced the launch date of the new Boxster and Boxster S, set for November 27th, 2004. The new Boxster, with a 2.7 litre six-cylinder engine will now have 240 HP, an increase of 12 HP from the previous model. Meanwhile, the Boxster S, which will be launched simultaneously, has seen a 20 HP increase from 260 HP to 280 HP, while cubic capacity has remained unchanged at 3.2 litres. The Boxster needs only 6.2 seconds to spurt from 0 to 100 km/h, while the Boxster S does this in 5.5 seconds. The basic model’s top speed is 256 km/h while the maximum speed of the Boxster S is 268 km/h. The pricing and the specifications for the Middle East will be announced in advance of the launch.

Mark Bishop, managing director of Porsche Middle East and Africa, anticipates that the new sports cars will be highly received in the area. “The Boxster and Boxster S offer Porsche and sports car lovers the chance to own and drive one of the motoring world’s most legendary vehicles at a very competitive price. The Boxster’s automotive success to date, coupled with its popularity and intelligent German craftsmanship, appeals greatly to this region and with the more powerful engine we feel this will strongly continue.”

The Boxster intends to further develop its leading position in the roadster segment by offering even greater driving pleasure while providing more active and passive safety. The new front end of the vehicle clearly shows the relationship with the 911 series but still features the typical Boxster face. The new lighting concept with the separation of main headlamps and front lamps with integrated fog lamps is characteristic of this. Larger wheels and a wider wheel alignment emphasize the increase in performance of the two models

The 2.7 litre version now has 17-inch wheels as standard, while the Boxster S features 18-inch wheels.

The Boxster is the first roadster in the world to secure passengers against lateral impact using head airbags. In combination with a thorax airbag, which is concealed on the outer side of the backrest, this additional airbag releases from the side window rail of the door and provides a very high level of protection for the head.

In the new Boxster, power is transmitted by a revised five-speed manual transmission and by a new transmission box with six gears in the S model. Both vehicles can optionally be equipped with a five-speed Tiptronic S transmission.

Report from 13/09/2004

9/13/2004