The revamped Porsche Boxster and Boxster S are now available in Qatar, and were unveiled at a soft-launch at the Porsche showroom in Doha yesterday.
Salman Jassem al-Darwish, Chairman and CEO of Porsche Centre Doha (right), with David Smith, Regional Sales Manager of Porsche Middle East and Africa, at the soft-launch of Boxster S in Doha yesterday
After a global reveal in Geneva in March, Porsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobiles Co WLL is introducing the comprehensively changed open-top two-seater in the market as early as possible, with further events highlighting the car to come later.
Both variants of the Porsche Boxster have a new, lightweight body and a completely re-designed chassis. Considerably lower weight, longer wheelbase, a wider track and larger wheels significantly enhance the mid-engine sports car’s driving dynamics.
Superior performance is backed by up to 15% more fuel efficiency and a 15% decrease in CO2 output.
A fundamentally changed styling, with shorter overhangs, a significantly forward-shifted windscreen, flatter silhouette and expressive edges all provide the Boxster with a fresh, contemporary look. The new roadster’s posture is decidedly more muscular and striking.
Passengers are enclosed by a completely re-designed, fully electric hood, which now dispenses with a convertible top compartment lid.
The interior gives occupants more space, and reflects the new Porsche outline with a raked centre console, which originated with the Carrera GT.
Both the Boxster and Boxster S models are powered by flat-six boxer engines with direct petrol injection, enhanced by electrical system recuperation, thermal management, auto start/stop function as well as electro-mechanical power steering.
The base model’s new power unit delivers 265hp from a 2.7 litre displacement – ten horsepower more than its larger displacement predecessor. Technically, it is now based on the 3.4-litre engine of the Boxster S, which now has an output 315hp – 5hp more than before.
Both models feature a manual six-speed gearbox as standard, with the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) available as an option.
The Boxster’s fuel consumption with PDK is 7.7 l/100km and 8.0 l/100km for the S version. Without interruption to the power flow, the two-seater sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds, the Boxster S in just 5.0 seconds.
Salman Jassem al-Darwish, Chairman and CEO of Porsche Centre Doha, said: “The vehicle’s mid-engine concept is the basis for the vehicle’s outstanding agility. Driving dynamics were enhanced by a balanced weight distribution of 46 (front) to 54% (rear) and the once again lowered centre of gravity. The 60mm longer wheelbase ensures greater stability at very high speeds whilst the wider track on both axles enhances driving stability and agility in bends.
“It’s pure fun to drive whether you are in the city. The new Boxster ticks all the boxes for what a sports car should be – lighter, more fuel-efficient, faster and more agile – everything that Porsche Intelligent Performance stands for and I am sure our discerning customers will agree to that,” added al-Darwish.
The basic retail price for the new Porsche Boxster in Qatar is QR195,800, and the Boxster S starts at QR215,900.
David Smith, Regional Sales Manager of Porsche Middle East and Africa, said that the company’s 2018 strategy is to see worldwide sales grow from 118,000 to over 200,000 cars worldwide. Smith said that the growth would mean bigger facilities and more employees in the region, and indeed around the world. Al Boraq’s is well on its way to meeting this ambitious target, with sales performance up 35.7% from the same period last year.
In its class, the Boxster enjoys 41% market share in Qatar and 45% in the region, and Smith expects it the new model to do better still, even though competitors are also releasing new models in the same class.