2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe and Cabriolet Preview

And Porsche couldn't have timed its arrival any better. The German carmaker has seen a healthy 18.2 percent rise in

The new 2005 911, and its S variants, really couldn't be coming at a better time for Porsche. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)

sales to 61,496 units and 14 percent increase in revenues to $6.16 billion over the first 10 months of its business year, from August to May. In the same period production has increased by 14.9 percent to 66,454 units. But it hasn't been on the back of the brand's supposed volume leading Boxster, which has experience the slowest sales of all Porsche's models at 10,490 units, a 34.3 percent reduction. Porsche's 911 sales are slow too, dropping off by 19.9 percent to 18,986 vehicles in the 10 month period, partly in anticipation of the upcoming 2005 model which includes the new 911 S coupe and convertible, plus the Turbo coupe and convertible in base and S modes.

Porsche needs the new 911 in all of its guises to boost sales. The automaker's iconic new Carrera GT's 124 sales aren't going to do much for sports car volume, at least not directly. And if the new 911 doesn't reignite car sales Porsche will go from being a sports car company to a brand that sells more SUVs than cars. Before the Cayenne, who could have ever imagined an image problem like this could be possible? The fact is, Porsche

Considering the staggering amount of Cayenne SUVs Porsche has sold, they need the new 911 to be a hit if they want to remain a "sports car" company. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

sold a staggering 31,896 SUVs over the same 10 month period, 2,296 units more than Boxster, 911 and Carrera GT sales combined - a 29,600 unit total.

The new 2005 911 should restore the natural order of Porsche, single-handedly turning it back into a sports car company while still allowing it to flourish from Cayenne profits. At the top of the 911 pecking order, the new Turbo S, while not featuring the updated styling details of the lesser model nor the improved interior, will no doubt take everything Turbo lovers appreciate about their favorite ride and kick it up a notch or two. I've driven a lot of Porsche's over the years, quite a few of them featuring twin-turbos. The 2005 Turbo S coupe and cabriolet versions sound especially enticing, improving on a power delivery and at the limit handling; two attributes that I never imagined could be improved upon. Now I know never to say never when speaking about Porsche.