Premium sound meets premium sports car

It's rare for an elite sports car maker to share the stage with one of its suppliers, but it happened last month in Memphis, where Porsche Cars North America and the Bose Corp. split 50-50 the cost of a media ride-and-drive event for the 2002 Porsche 911. The 911 was fully redesigned for 1999, so the '02 upgrades are minor (displacement boost from 3.4 to 3.6L for an additional 20 hp, redesigned front end, lockable glove box, availability of Bi-Xenon headlamps). A significant improvement is the optional Bose audio system (package priced at $3,200), which produces remarkably clear sound with 225 watts of power and 12 speakers. As for the Porsche luxury sport/utility vehicle, company spokesman Bob Carlson says the German automaker remains committed to launching the unibody Cayenne for the '03 model year. He expects at least half of the vehicles Porsche sells in North America to be SUVs. Hath hell frozen over?