Porsche to roll out new Boxster this month-end in Middle East

German sports car maker Porsche has scheduled the Middle East launch of its second-generation Boxster on November 27, coinciding with its international roll-out.

Amaury La Fonta, marketing manager of Porsche Middle East and Africa, told Gulf News the Boxster would cost Dh157,800 and the Boxster S Dh182,900 in the UAE. He said the unit projection for the roadster in the region is 200 this fiscal year.

Speaking at the press launch of the Boxster and Boxster S here last week, Anton Hunger, Porsche's director of corporate communications, said the new sports car supplements the luxury car maker's classic 911.

"The Boxster had hardly entered the market when we realised that our production capacities in Zuffenhausen would not be sufficient for the car.

"At that time, we planned to build 15,000 911s and 15,000 Boxsters a year. We have exceeded this objective by far with the 911 and for a time we built and sold almost twice as many Boxsters," he said.

Porsche has remained characteristically cautious in the evolution of its baby in the family. "In its design, Boxster has achieved a certain perfection and it has become increasingly difficult to add any new features or make any changes," Hunger said.

But larger front air ducts, more curvaceous hood corners and the big oval headlights that replace the familiar teardrop-shaped units lend it a distinct appearance.

Marked improvements have been brought about in power, performance and safety as well.

"We have sent the Boxster to the gym to give it more muscles and strength," Hunger said. The result is a more dynamic sound and faster sprint.

The base model running a 2.7-litre engine with a five-speed gearshift gives a maximum output of 240hp, an increase of 12hp from the previous version.

The 3.2-litre Boxster S comes with a new six-speed manual gearbox and is up from 260 hp to 280 hp. Both models can still be equipped with the optional five-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission system.

In Europe, the base price of the standard model will now be 37,000 euros (Dh173,943) while that of the Boxster S will be 44,100 euros (Dh207,321).

"Taking into account the higher level of equipment in the new car, the Boxster will now be cheaper by 9 per cent and the Boxster S by six per cent," Hunger said. The company claims to have also lowered the cost of maintenance and fuel requirement.

The sports car has enabled Porsche to turn around its business operations and achieve positive figures, he said.

"Precisely when we introduced the Boxster in 1996, our stock price started to explode and by September 7 this year, when we announced the second generation Boxster, Porsche shares had increased in value by 858 per cent," Hunger said.

The official insisted the Boxster has not been cannibalising the company's classic 911. "Quite a few Boxster customers have moved up in our hierarchy, switching over to a 911," he said.