2011 Porsche Cayenne S, Loaded With Options, Just Serviced!!! on 2040-cars

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2012 TechArt Porsche 911 is visually dazzling, both inside and out

One way to ensure that your brand-new Porsche 911 (a.k.a. 991) won't look like the one in your neighbor's driveway is to give TechArt a call. The famed German tuner has rolled out its version of the latest Carrera and Carrera S at the Geneva Motor Show and trust us, it won't be mistaken for anything from the factory in Stuttgart.
Up front, TechArt has fitted its own unique two-part spoiler with integrated splitter while more aggressive side skirts adorn the rocker panels. The rear has a new lower diffuser, wrapped around the TechArt exhaust, and a large fixed rear wing (complete with an integrated third brake light). Look more closely to notice the subtle trim panels on the exterior mirrors and front headlights. The wheels are lightweight forged 20- and 21-inch alloys with matching paint on their rims.
Inside the heavily modified cabin are even more drastic enhancements (let's say TechArt has gone over the top). Don't let the aluminum pedals be a distraction as you inspect the black Alcantara and high-grade leather covering nearly every square inch. Flirting with gaudy, the dark upholstery is contrasted by vehicle-color-coordinated stitching and painted trim splashed throughout. However, the icing on the cake is an insanely thick TechArt three-spoke sports steering wheel.

The mid-engine Porsche backstory

As an automaker's identity evolves over years, its signature becomes defined by any number of factors - heritage (Mercedes-Benz), image (Lamborghini), or market share (Toyota). In the case of Porsche, it was an engineering quirk that forged the German company's most enduring character trait.
Porsche would not have survived - let alone, thrived - in today's saturated landscape had it not been for the 911, and that slope-tailed sports car wouldn't have sprung to life without its predecessor, the 356. While phenomenal success of those rear-engine icons built the company, forays into the mid-engine configuration have played a significant part in establishing the brand's identity.
The Mid-Engine Prototype Of Ferry Porsche's Dreams

Porsche has doubled US sales to women [w/videos]

Porsche is having a good sales year in the US, with 25,129 vehicles delivered year-to-date coming off the automaker's best July sales ever. That's a 31-percent increase over the same period last year (19,253 deliveries). With year-to-date Panamera sales a surprising 36 percent lower than last year, what possibly could be driving Porsche's sales surge? If you answered Cayman and Boxster sales, you're right. But dealerships are noticing another factor: more women are coming in to buy Porsches, CNBC reports, the bulk of whom picked up new Cayenne SUVs. The German automaker's sales to women in the US have more than doubled in the past two years, increasing from 7 percent to 15 percent. This has helped year-to-date Cayenne sales reach 11,082 - 31 percent higher than the same time last year.
Porsche executives have been trying to tap into the women's market, as evidenced in part by the company's move to pick professional tennis player Maria Sharapova as a brand ambassador. Porsche maintains it has not moved to dramatically change its brand image, but it has shown a number of ads in recent years that uncharacteristically emphasize its vehicles' practicality under the "Engineered for Magic. Everyday" banner - some featuring female drivers.
Be sure to watch CNBC's video report on Porsche's female movement below - you'll also find one of the aforementioned Engineered For Magic ads as well as an interesting case study video on the campaign from ad agency Cramer-Krasselt.