Porsche confirms world debut of new Cayman at L.A. Auto Show

Porsche will be making big news at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, as it has confirmed an all-new 2014 Cayman sportscar will make its world debut at the event.

The Cayman is the fixed-roof counterpart to the Boxster convertible, a new version of which Porsche put on sale this year. Both cars are rear-wheel-drive, feature a mid-engine setup and count the rear-engined 911 and 911 convertible as a bigger brother.

Details on the Cayman’’s powertrain haven’’t been released, but previous models always had a tick more power than the corresponding Boxster version. If this continues, expect the base Cayman to have somewhere around 275 horsepower from a 2.7-liter, six-cylinder engine.

The more powerful Cayman S will likely have a 3.4-liter, six-cylinder engine very similar to the one in the base 911 Carrera. Expect it to produce around 325 horsepower in the 2014 Cayman S.

A six-speed manual transmission should be standard with Porsche’s seven-speed, dual-clutch PDK serving as the optional gearbox.

Pricing hasn’’t been announced, but based on the current Boxster’’s asking price, budget at least $54,000 for the base Cayman (including destination) and $64,000 for the Cayman S. The models will go on sale in early spring 2013.

That Porsche would use the L.A. Auto Show for a global debut like this is a result of California’s being the automaker’’s largest single market. Numerous other Porsches have made world debuts at recent L.A. Auto Shows including the Boxster Spyder in 2009, the Cayman R in 2010 and the Panamera GTS in 2011.

But the 2014 Cayman won’’t be the only thing to check out at the Porsche booth. The company will also be bringing the new 911 Carrera 4 and 4S for their North American debut. These cars, available in coupe or convertible form, are all-wheel drive variants of the recently redesigned 911 Porsche.

The 2012 L.A Auto Show will be open to the public from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9. We’’ll be covering the press days live on Nov. 28 and 29. Stay tuned.

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