2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Premiere

With the new 911 Carrera, the next completely redeveloped generation of the sports car classic by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, celebrates its world premiere at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. The sports car icon is stepping into the limelight with its flat, stretched silhouette, exciting contours and precisely designed details, yet from the very first glance it remains unmistakably a 911. True to the 911 tradition, the distinctive Porsche design language with its tendons and muscles exudes power and elegance. The 100 millimetre (3.94 inch) longer wheelbase and reduced height combined with the up to 20-inch wheels underpin the athletic appearance.

Setting the standard in its class, as it has for generations, the new 911 raises the performance and efficiency bar yet again. All Coupés get by with significantly less than ten litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. Fuel consumption and emissions are up to 16 per cent lower compared with its predecessor. The Carrera with the new 350 hp (257 kW) 3.4-litre boxer engine and optional Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) consumes a mere 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres based on the NEDC – 1.6 l/100 km less than its predecessor. Also, at 194 g/km CO2, it is the first Porsche sports car to make it below the 200 g/km mark.

With the Carrera S as well, with its 3.8-litre boxer engine and what is now 400 hp (294 kW), fuel consumption when paired with the optional PDK is reduced by 14 per cent or 1.5 l/100 km to 8.7 l/100 km despite 15 hp (11 kW) more power. That equates to CO2 emissions of 205 g/km.

The all-new, lightweight body is an intelligent aluminium-steel construction. It is responsible for a significant proportion of the weight reduction of up to 45 kilograms. New active control systems elevate driving dynamics to an unprecedented level. The new electro-mechanical power steering offers Porsche’s typical precision and feedback, and also helps to economise on fuel. Moreover, the world’s first seven-speed manual transmission is featured as standard. Additional systems and functions such as auto start/stop, thermal management and electrical system recuperation further enhance the new Carrera’s efficiency.

Also celebrating a world premiere at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show is the Panamera Diesel, the long-range cruiser in Porsche’s Gran Turismo stable with an impressive turn of speed. With a range in excess of 1,200 kilometres on a full 80 litre tank, it is a good bet as a distinctly economical GT saloon thanks to its fuel consumption of only 6.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres based on the NEDC with optional low-friction tyres. The new Panamera Diesel is powered by a smooth-running, three-litre V6 250 hp (184 kW) engine and a brawny maximum torque of 550 Newton metres. Power transmission is handled by an eight-speed automatic transmission.

With the 911 GT3 RS 4.0, which is making its debut in front of an international public in Frankfurt, one of the most popular, coveted and successful Porsche racing pedigree production cars is entering the home straight. Limited to 600 vehicles, the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 brings together in a road car all the attributes that have made the Porsche 911 GT3 a serial winner on the race track. The four-litre displacement sports engine, the largest engine ever used in a production 911, produces 500 hp (368 kW). At 125 hp per litre, the engine is also the most powerful naturally aspirated engine. This propels the 911 GT2 RS 4.0 around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in 7:27 minutes.

The Cayman S Black Edition limited to 500 units is also celebrating its debut in Frankfurt. The all-black, mid-engine Coupé boasts even better performance than the Cayman S and offers especially lavish equipment. The Cayman S Black Edition is powered by a 3.4-litre flat-six engine with power output increased by 10 hp to 330 hp (243 kW). The greater power feeds directly through into the two-seater’s performance. The acceleration times from nought to 100 km/h (62 mph) are improved to 5.1 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission and to 5.0 seconds with the optional Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK).

The world premieres are accompanied by two vehicles, which provide impressive proof of the tradition and future of Porsche Intelligent Performance. The Boxster E and the legendary “Semper Vivus”, the world’s first fully-functional, full-hybrid car. The Boxster E, with one electric motor apiece on front and rear axle, runs on purely electric power with four-wheel drive and is equivalent to a Boxster S in terms of driving dynamics. Together with two other Boxster Es, in which an electric motor drives the rear wheels, the prototype is being used to explore the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles and how they are used, especially in terms of driving and battery charging.

The faithful reconstruction of the “Semper Vivus” pays tribute to the visionary invention of Ferdinand Porsche, who in building it in 1900 created the first ever functional vehicle with a series hybrid drive. The faithful replica, the visionary design of which impresses to this very day, was the outcome of a collaboration between Porsche Engineering and Karosseriebau Drescher, a coachbuilding company based in Hinterzarten (Germany).