Automotive Einstein

Autoblog Porsche

Autoblog Porsche

2013 Porsche Panamera GTS [w/video] Tuesday, 31 January 2012, 4:57 pm

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Porsche, First Drives, Luxury

The Panamera That Can Win Over Purists

The roads winding from the southernmost coast of Spain up to Ascari Race Resort near the town of Ronda are enough to bring telling tales out of any car that professes to have high performance intentions. What talented few acquit themselves well on these roads are then exposed to the 3.4-mile Ascari circuit, and that’s usually enough to send most of them home in a huff of brake dust and blow-by.

This time in the crucible, it’s the 2012 Porsche Panamera GTS, a car first shown under the hard lights of November’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Despite not being the most powerful in the range, this naturally aspirated GTS is tipped to offer the most race-like dynamics of the entire Panamera portfolio. And after 100 or so miles on public amusement park roads and 20 or so on the track, this plus-size GT showed us it’s capable of dicing it up like a 911 or Cayman while delivering an understandably different experience from behind the wheel.

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2013 Porsche Panamera GTS [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Matt Davis

Hagerty predicts this year’s future classics Monday, 30 January 2012, 11:59 pm

Filed under: Car Buying, Classics, Etc., Audi, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jeep, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen

The world would be considerably less entertaining if we could all predict the future. Even so, the classic car gurus at Hagerty Insurance have cast a few chicken bones in an attempt to figure out which vehicles produced today might eventually turn collectible.

The company restricted entrants to hardware with a price tag of less than $100,000, so the list isn’t populated with too many wild exotics. While vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 are low-hanging fruit, the list also featured a few surprises.

For starters, it begins with none other than the mighty Buick Regal GS. Hagerty says the vehicle is a win because it’s the first Buick with a manual transmission since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. The Fiat 500 Abarth also makes an appearance alongside an even hotter hatch, the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we’re simply thrilled to see the sinister Audi TT RS make a showing. Hit the jump for the full list or view each vehicle in our gallery above.

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Hagerty predicts this year’s future classics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Zach Bowman

Porsche 911 Turbo caught out and about again Monday, 30 January 2012, 10:58 pm

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Porsche, Luxury

We’ve driven the new 991-series Porsche 911, and now the next chapter of the new 911 story – the 2013 Turbo – has been caught proving itself in the wintertide climate. Its most important details – the front and rear bumpers and side intakes – remain behind camo, but we now get a look at how the tail sits across the wider rump, and we think it looks quite good.

When it’s finally revealed, the new 911 Turbo is expected to put out more than 500 horsepower – numbers from 520 hp to 550 hp have been mentioned – from it’s tri-turboed (yes, three turbos) 3.6-liter flat six. Both the seven-speed PDK and seven-speed manual transmissions should be on offer, and the lighter-than-the-last-Turbo package should be screamingly fast. Have a look at the high-res gallery to see it from just about every angle.

Porsche 911 Turbo caught out and about again originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Jonathon Ramsey

The Porsche 911 evolves Saturday, 28 January 2012, 5:04 pm

Filed under: Coupe, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Porsche

If we could summarize the Porsche 911 with just one word, it would be “evolution.” For decades, Porsche has methodically improved its rear-engined sports car. The design changes are subtle, and power has risen steadily.

To illustrate this, Porsche made a video that plays off the 911′s rich history. If you lie awake at night thinking about how great it would be to own a 911, hit the jump for some more inspiration.

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The Porsche 911 evolves originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Chris Shunk

Volkswagen says it could conclude takeover of Porsche this year Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 11:01 pm

Filed under: Porsche, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

It’s been a whole three weeks since we checked in with Volkswagen’s takeoever of Porsche, and the most recent news wasn’t so good: investors filed a $2.6 billion suit against Porsche over the Stuttgart maker’s attempt to gobble up VW. Those same investors also filed an arbitration application against Volkswagen. That hasn’t stopped a VW executive from saying that its ownership of Porsche could finally be concluded this year, according to a report in Der Spiegel.

VW had earlier predicted the deal would be done last year, then released a statement in September saying that that too many hurdles and unknowns remained concerning investigations and economic ramfications for the deal to get done in 2011. The hurdles centered around previous lawsuits, including one brought by American investors in 2010, and the fact that VW couldn’t evaluate Porsche appropriately until they were settled.

However, the latest upbeat report on overcoming the obstructions to getting a deal done this year don’t mention those lawsuits. Instead, the resolved issues are a one-billion-euro tax payment that VW can avoid by creating a holding company by 2014 to control the Porsche stake, and VW’s agreeing to contractually assure Porsche retains control over its models and where it spends its money. According to that unnamed executive, this opens the door for VW to sponge up the final 50.1 percent of Porsche it doesn’t own, for a price of €3.9 billion – about $5.1B USD – but we have no idea how or why the lawsuits aren’t mentioned as a factor.

In the meantime, Reuters reports that VW and Porsche are working “at arm’s length” even though they have the same CEO and CFO and are busy developing cars together, a fact which is testing CEO Martin Winterkorn’s patience. Earlier this month, Winterkorn was quoted as saying he wants to bring the companies closer “without needing to have a lawyer stand next to a Porsche employee every time he screws something into a Volkswagen or vice-versa.”

Volkswagen says it could conclude takeover of Porsche this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Jonathon Ramsey

Followup: Infiniti M35h is world’s "fastest" hybrid Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 9:56 pm

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Infiniti, Porsche, Luxury

We don’t imagine that many new-car buyers are cross-shopping their local Infiniti and Porsche dealerships, but there’s at least one segment of the automotive industry where the two automakers both play ball: high-performance hybrid luxury sedans, which may be the single most conflicted niche of the automotive sphere in the known universe.

In any case, here we are with the Infiniti M35h and Porsche Panamera S Hybrid. Each one is marketed as both a somewhat greener luxury vehicle and a performance sedan. We’d guess it’s the performance side of the equation that would be most interesting to the majority of buyers, leaving fuel efficiency a welcome bonus.

So, which one is faster? That’s an interesting question. Usually, we equate that term with top speed, as “fast” connotes velocity. When acceleration is being contested, we generally ask which machine is quickest. And, if it’s quickness you’re after, Infiniti wants you to know that its M35h will out-accelerate its competitor from Germany. How quick is it? According to Motor Trend, the hybrid M goes from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, but that’s not the stat Infiniti is claiming. According to the post-jump press release, the M35h is “faster” than the hybrid Panamera from 0-100 (11.54 seconds) and in the quarter mile (13.41 seconds).

As for the rest of the relevant statistics, the EPA estimates that the M35h will manage 27 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway, for a combined rating of 29. The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid is rated at 22 city, 30 highway and 25 combined. Seems the M hybrid takes both the acceleration and economy awards. Check out a video released by Infiniti after the break, where you’ll also find the press release, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Continue reading Followup: Infiniti M35h is world’s “fastest” hybrid

Followup: Infiniti M35h is world’s “fastest” hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Jeremy Korzeniewski

Porsche celebrates building 100,000th second-generation Cayenne Monday, 23 January 2012, 2:29 pm

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Porsche

Say what you will about the Porsche Cayenne – whether you think it’s the best-handling SUV on the market or a storied automaker turning its back on its heritage – you can’t argue that it hasn’t been a huge success for the German automaker. In fact, Porsche has produced 100,000 examples of the Cayenne – and that’s only counting the current model.

The milestone unit is set to be delivered to a customer in Brazil, one of the 124 markets in which the Cayenne is currently sold in five different versions. The milestone comes at an auspicious time for Porsche, which this year celebrates 10 years of production at Leipzig, where the Cayenne and Panamera are built. With the approaching introduction of the smaller Cajun line at Leipzig, the plant is expected to reach the 500,000 mark before the year is out.

Continue reading Porsche celebrates building 100,000th second-generation Cayenne

Porsche celebrates building 100,000th second-generation Cayenne originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Porsche | Noah Joseph