The main reason we go to the NYIAS is to see what's new with Porsche. Clearly they had a few things under wraps for the 2PM press conference. The booth space his year was a lot larger than previous years. Not sure if it was because they now are part of VW and was able to negotiate a better price. In any case, it was nice to be able to sit down, chat with some of the folks, and enjoy a few espresso all courtesy of Porsche.

We were hoping to get a look at the 918 electric concept. It is one of the few cars we would consider when we are ready to trade in our beloved Boxster. Another may be the Boxster Spyder. The 918 was not on display, but we got a nice long uninterrupted look at the Boxster Spyder.

We love the new detailing of the Spyder. It really felt like Porsche engineers had looked at every piece, considered its usefulness, and kept or reworked it as needed. The new convertible top and latching mechanism was redesigned for the Spyder. This is the one component which may make the Spyder not suitable for Winter driving in New England. Unfortunately, we did not get to see it in action.

Both the Cayman and the Turbo were also on display. We have warmed up to the looks of the Cayman quite a bit since its introduction. Many love it because it is a coupe. We can appreciate that, but being that the Boxster is quite a satisfactory Porsche, we could not see trading its open cockpit feeling for any amount of increase in handling stiffness or performance.

The Turbo is an entirely different category of Porsche. We, like many others, can lust after its near supercar specs. However, as we like living in a house rather than in a car, it will be a few more years before we could entertain driving one of these beauties. Still, it was nice to have had the chance to run our fingers across the paint, sit in the car, and pretend that we were driving down the highway in one :-)

The crowd at the Porsche booth really got thick around 2PM. The press conference started on time with the usual review of Porsche's current and future business prospects, growth potentials, and pipeline. The one interesting takeaway was the comment from Porsche senior management that the 918 prototype may actually make it to the production floor in the not too distant future!

Porsche big announcement at the NYIAS was the Cayenne Hybrid. This is a lighter, faster, and fuel-smart Porsche SUV. Even thought is is lighter, it is actually bigger...translating to more leg room for the rear passengers. Porsche management clearly has high hopes for this new offering.

The price/performance ratio of the new Cayenne Hybrid is not low, but fairly standard for a Porsche. For those who really want to whip past a Boxster, the 500hp Turbo should do the trick. However, the priviledge will cost you. There is a $60K gap between the two ends of the Cayenne spectrum.

We are not SUV fans and the Cayenne is the least interesting Porsche to us. However, it is still great to see hybrid technology being offered in a Porsche vehicle. Perhaps what the engineers learned from building the Cayenne Hybrid will work its way down to their 2-door sports cars.

Porsche also had a nice display of the various accesories for the various models. The aluminum gas cap is a totally extraneous item, but we find it strangely desirable. We had made some Porsche Wheel covers as a project a few years back. The official ones are MUCH nicer and much more expensive compared to our homemade ones. For those attending the official pening tomorrow, we heard that Porsche is giving a set away to the first visitor that asks. [Permalink] -NYIAS: Porsche News

BTW...we have extra copy of the Porsche Press CD and we are going to give it away. If you want it, just answer the question correctly, and we'll put you in the drawing for it.