Autospies says:
AUTO SPIES EXCLUSIVE: Porsche GT3 Junior?
11/22/2005 2:52:50 PM EST
It's not often you see a totally new model from Porsche so we're excited to see the introduction of the new Porsche GT3 Junior.GT3 Junior you say?What the heck is a GT3 Junior?
The GT3 Junior is the best description we've heard yet of the new Porsche Cayman.
Here's the reference point
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2004 Porsche 911 GT3: Put to the Test[/quote]
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">PORSCHE 911 GT3 CLUBSPORT[/quote]
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[/quote]The Clubsport version of the 911 GT3 features a competition seat and half roll cage but is otherwise identical to Porsche's street racer. At Donington, the car generated 1.14 g's of lateral grip from its 235/40 and 295/30ZR-18 Michelin tires, easily the widest and lowest-profile footwear of the four. With 375 horsepower, the GT3 gets down the straightaways smartly, while traction out of slow corners is pretty impressive, thanks to the rear engine location. The brakes are amazing-although the peak g figure reflects our driving style rather than their effectiveness-as is the engine, which produces usable power from 3000 to 8200 revs and an amazing wail that defeats the sound-deadening properties of a crash helmet.[/quote]
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[/quote]The GT3 feels far too stiff on public roads and suffers from too much initial understeer, but it's transformed on a racetrack. As with the ERA, cornering attitude is dependent on throttle position, which means lots of sideways action. The steering weights up nicely with g's, and the understeer that's so pesky on the road can be dialed out easily with throttle. The car feels really sorted on smooth pavement, although you need maximum concentration to drive it swiftly on bumpy, curving roads. But then, you are accessing the same level of performance as in a 1959 grand prix car, and you can do it while listening to the stereo. It shows how far street cars have come, but it also makes the point that old cars-especially old racing cars-aren't slow. Not at all.[/quote]
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http://automobilemag.com/reviews/coupes/0412_put_to_the_test/index3.html
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Edited by - mpollard on 11/23/2005 02:31:15 AM
Does anyone know when the new GT3 is going to be available or at least when porsche will have the final details and specs on the car?
Together with the new Turbo,
Porsche’s other 911 debuts for 2006 include the GT3, Targa and GT2
—the latter sharing the new Turbo’s driveline but channeling its reserves through the rear wheels.
Interestingly, the engines in the top-of-the-line 911 family will use the same bore as the Cayman S.
Powering next year’s range-topping 911 is a reworked version of the outgoing model’s devastatingly effective 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine. Porsche drew on its engine-building experience to crank up the output of the horizontally opposed unit
with an enhanced management system
, twin variable vane turbochargers,
improved exhaust routing with reduced back-pressure
, and the latest evolution of its electrohydraulic VarioCam Plus system, which continuously varies valve lift and timing.
Available at:
http://autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=103505
Porsche will be depending on the Cayman and the turbo charged 911s in 2006 for volume because:
<h2 class="Headline">Not so Hot: U.S. Sales of Porsche's Cayenne ute decline in '05</h2>
<h5 class="Red"></h5>
<div class="Byline">DIANA T. KURYLKO | Automotive News </div>
<div class="Date"><span class="FieldLabel">Posted Date: [/quote]11/21/05</div>
<div class="Body">Less than three years since its U.S. debut, the Porsche Cayenne has run out of steam with sales here slumping for the 10th month in a row.
The Cayenne's decline again raises the question of whether Porsche stretched the brand too much with an SUV -- particularly a vehicle with below-average quality scores.
U.S. sales of rival luxury SUVs also are down, leading some dealers and Porsche executives to conclude that the Cayenne is a victim of gasoline prices and the economy. Cayenne sales for the first 10 months of 2005 were 10,907, down 26.5 percent from a year earlier.
Indeed, the Volkswagen Touareg SUV, with which the Cayenne shares a platform and many components, is performing worse than the Cayenne. U.S. Touareg sales are down even more -- 36.9 percent through October.
Other dealers say the Cayenne reached its peak when sales hit 2,075 units in October 2004. They say it's a fashion-statement vehicle that doesn't command the loyalty that Porsche's sports cars do.
The Cayenne isn't due for a facelift until 2007.</div>
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Some decline expected
Peter Schwarzenbauer, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, says the Cayenne is a success. With the SUV in its third year, Porsche expected a decline between 10 and 15 percent compared with 2004, he says.
Schwarzenbauer says sales are down more than expected because of high gasoline prices and wobbly consumer confidence.
Unlike the competition, Porsche won't offer cash incentives on its SUV. Considering this, Schwarzenbauer says, 'the Cayenne is still doing OK.'
Porsche isn't putting on incentives, but dealers are. Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore., estimates that the average dealer incentive on the Cayenne is between $3,000 and $4,000.
Todd Turner, president of Car Concepts Inc., an automotive consulting company in Thousand Oaks, Calif., says Porsche never should have made an SUV. 'It is a me-too vehicle and doesn't fit the brand at all,' he says.
But image isn't the Cayenne's biggest problem. Turner says Porsche still hasn't ironed out the Cayenne's quality problems.
'There are problems with electrical bits, pieces not connected tight enough and cooling problems,' he says. 'Look at a 1-year-old Cayenne, and it looks used. The fit and finish isn't there.'
Porsche says its initial quality numbers for October from J.D. Power and Associates show 163 problems per 100 vehicles for the Cayenne, compared with 223 in October 2004 and 233 in October 2003. J.D. Power publicly releases initial quality results once a year and this May said the industry average was 118 problems per 100 vehicles.
By contrast, Porsche's Boxster sports car had 94 problems per 100 vehicles in October, and the 911 sports car had 87 problems.
High gasoline prices sent the sales of many SUVs spiraling downward in the past few months. Cayenne sales fell 46.8 percent in October, compared with a year earlier.
Down, down, down
October was a disastrous month for nearly every brand. But Cayenne sales have been down every month this year, falling at least 20 percent most months compared with a year earlier.
Jerry Nelson, owner of Schneider + Nelson Porsche in West Long Branch, N.J., says unlike Porsche's sports car buyers, 'customers who come off-lease of an SUV don't have a great deal of loyalty and move around to whatever is new on the block.
'Cayenne was the hottest thing a few years ago. Now it's whatever else is new. And we don't have a facelift on it yet.'
Schwarzenbauer says it's too early to tell whether lessees will go into a second Cayenne because most haven't come off their three-year contract.
He says that initial data show that between 40 and 45 percent lease another Cayenne -- the same rate as the sports cars.
Jim Hall, an analyst with AutoPacific in Southfield, Mich., agrees that luxury SUV buyers aren't loyal, but he doesn't fault Porsche for wanting to attract buyers looking for a bigger vehicle.
Referring to the four-door Panamera sedan Porsche has approved for production in 2009, Hall says, 'in retrospect, the sedan looks like a better choice.'
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http://autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103631
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While US
Cayenne
sales are plummeting, they can't get enough of them in the oil rich mid Eastern countries where gas is cheap & they are regarded as safer vehicles. Dealers here are sitting on (& floorplanning) '05s they need to unload with '06s knocking on their door. It's a good time if you're an SUV buyer. Personally, I'm happy if there are fewer of those behemoths on the roads.
Edited by - lizardS on 11/23/2005 11:37:14 PM
No doubt that higher oil prices are causing a drop in overall SUV sales. But it's way too early to be drawing conclusions about specific brand sales performance based on a month or two of data.
<div>Minimum weight, maximum thrills - that's the philosophy behind what promises to be one of the most thrilling cars Porsche has ever built.
The mag's s spies caught a high-performance version of the recently unveiled Cayman undergoing testing around the Nürburgring circuit in Germany. And the mag's exclusive main picture gives the world its first glimpse of the hot new RS variant in showroom-ready form.
Complete with trademark white paintwork - along with evocative red side decals and alloy wheels - the stripped-out newcomer will fit into the company's line-up as an understudy to the stunning 911 GT3 RS.
As with that model, the Cayman RS won't use a turbocharged powerplant. Instead, it will rely on a tuned version of the 3.4-litre six-cylinder 295bhp unit found in the existing S variant. Likely to produce around 340bhp, the car will complete the benchmark sprint from 0-60mph in less than five seconds. That will give the Porsche all the performance it needs to take on the fastest version of the forthcoming
BMW
Z4 Coupé, which is scheduled to go on sale before the end of next year.
With all unnecessary trim removed from the cabin and special racing bucket seats, the extreme variant of Porsche's smallest hard-top will sacrifice comfort for performance. A stiffer suspension set-up and uprated ceramic brakes will make the hot Cayman among the best drivers' cars around.
Porsche officials remain tight-lipped over future variants of the new car, but these spy shots are all the proof you need that the RS is on the way. And our sources in Germany have hinted that the machine could be on sale as early as 2007. For those looking to buy at the other end of the scale, an entry-level, lower-powered car is also likely to join the range in the future.
Although exact details and prices are still top secret, bosses at the Stuttgart company are conscious of avoiding overlap with the existing Boxster, Cayman and 911 line-ups. As a result, the RS will probably be produced in small numbers so as not to have any impact on sales of the larger 911.
By Chris Thorp
From Auto Express</div>
