2012 Porsche Boxster – Spied

If the prototypes don't seem very different from the current model, consider it a sign. Porsche is happy with the current styling formula, but proportions will be altered slightly. We believe it will look closer than ever to the original concept car that stunned the 1993 Detroit auto show. With the next Boxster, Porsche is copying the approach to the next-generation 911—to be dubbed the 991, not 998—a car which we have have also spied. That 911 will be launched about six months before the Boxster. The trilogy will be completed with the next Cayman, to be launched in mid-2012.

The engines will be carried over virtually unchanged. Porsche Boxster (2.9-liter non-direct injection flat-six) and Boxster S (3.4-liter direct-injection flat-six) are currently rated at 255 hp and 310 hp, respectively, while the Cayman and Cayman S are rated at 265 hp and 320 hp. These numbers won't change a lot, although a slight power increase would make sense and is always welcome.

Transmissions will also carry over, including a short-throw six-speed manual and the new seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, which works well on the current model but is somewhat awkward to operate in manual mode when using the steering-wheel-mounted buttons. Expect paddle shifters on the next Boxster. An all-wheel-drive version is highly unlikely, given that the Boxster's transmission sits behind the engine.

The new Boxster and Cayman are bad news for Finnish manufacturer Valmet, which will lose production of both models to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. Porsche was Valmet's only customer, and when the Boxster runs out in 2011 and the Cayman in 2012, the coachbuilder hopes to fill the gap with the Fisker Karma, which is scheduled to go into production in late 2009.

Magna Steyr currently produces the BMW X3, the Mercedes G-class, and the Saab 9-3 convertible, as well as European-market versions of the Chrysler 300, Jeep Commander, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. But much of its capacity is unused and the next X3 will move to BMW’s South Carolina plant, so the Boxster and Cayman will give Magna’s venerable plant a new lease of life. The Cayman will be made exclusively in Graz, the Boxster will be made in Graz and in Porsche's own plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Doing so allows Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking to utilize a clever strategy: Have Porsche’s own plant running at capacity at all times while allowing the contract manufacturer to absorb market fluctuation.

© Source: caranddriver
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