All-new 2012 Porsche 911 launched in Malaysia
Porsche’s official importer in Malaysia, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), has officially unveiled the latest generation Porsche 911 at a launch event held at the Sepang International Circuit last week. Internally code-named 991 by Porsche, the all-new 911 enters our shores in two variants – Carrera and Carrera S.
Following time-honoured tradition of the 911 family, the new 991 generation manages to almost exactly like its predecessor despite every panel being new. In terms of measurements, the new 911 is as wide as its predecessor at 1.8m, but boasts a lengthened wheelbase and widened front track. Under the skin, there is extensive usage of aluminium to keep the kilos down.
Inside, Porsche claims to have taken inspiration from the Carrera GT when designing the new 911’s cabin. The centre console rises up to the front with a gear lever that sits close to the steering wheel for easy reach in typical motorsport fashion. Classic and established Porsche touches, such as the five round instruments with the centrally located rev counter and the ignition lock to the left of the steering wheel are also found in the new model.
Powerplant options also follow the familiar 911 template of rear-slung boxer engines, offered here in naturally aspirated 3.4 and 3.8-litre displacements. The 911 Carrera gets 340hp and 390Nm from its 3,436 cubic centimetres, whilst the 911 Carrera S makes 400hp and 440Nm from 3,800cc. Under official European driving cycles, both variants of the 911 dip below 10 l/100km in fuel consumption and 200 g/km in carbon dioxide emissions.
A noteworthy first pioneered by the 911 is the world’s first 7-speed manual transmission used in a passenger car. Unfortunately however, the low demand for stick shift in our market has seen SDAP take the not unexpected step of specifying Porsche’s 7-speed PDK dual clutch transmission as standard items for Malaysian-spec 911s.
Prices have yet to be finalized, but duty-free prices were announced to be RM430,000 and RM490,000 for the Carrera and Carrera S respectively. As reference, equivalent variants of the outgoing 911 are priced at RM750,000 and RM850,000 respectively. SDAP will include a 4-year warranty and free service programme into the package.
Pictures: Official Porsche release.
