First launched in the 2006 model year, the Cayman is a coupé derived from Porsche's second and third generation Boxster roadster, styled in its first iteration by Pinky Lai.
A large percentage of the Boxsters were assembled in Finland for Porsche by Valmet Automotive
with others assembled in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart. All Caymans were
manufactured in Finland by Valmet Automotive. Porsche's Deputy Chairman,
Holger P. Haerter said the contract with Valmet Automotive would end in
2012, and the Cayman's production was to be outsourced to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.
As Volkswagen assumed control of Porsche AG, production of Caymans and Boxsters after 2012 began in the former Karmann plant in Osnabrück, Germany, at the time owned by Volkswagen and also used for production of the 2012 Golf (Mk6) convertible.
The car is not named after the Cayman Islands. Both the car and the islands are named after the caiman, a member of the alligator family. When the first Caymans arrived at dealerships for sale, the automaker adopted four caimans at Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.
Porsche brought an infringement lawsuit in 2009 against Crocs,
the maker of the popular rubber shoes. At issue was the footwear
company's clog name also called Cayman. An injunction was granted
against Crocs Europe, a division of the Longmont, Colorado-based shoe
company preventing their use in Germany of the Cayman name.
