Porsche

I was doing research for last week's blog about the gas guzzlin' class of 2010 automobiles, and along the way I had read some not-so-positive notes about the 2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS and its rather low gas to mileage ratio. That's too bad; it looks nice on the outside.

Also along the way I began picking up some articles about the 2010 Porsche Panamera, which reportedly marks the German auto maker's first stab at designing and manufacturing a sedan. But if you're thinking that Porsche has traded in horsepower for childproof locks and wood panels, you … Read more

Flashlights are becoming more and more sophisticated, as well as rather expensive. Case in point: the upcoming mPower Emergency Illuminator, which made its press debut this week at an event in New York. Designed by the Porsche Design Studio to be "a stylish product with emergency utility, it will cost somewhere between $250 and $300 when it comes out in March of 2010.

Aside from the fetching design, the mPower Emergency Illuminator boasts some innovative battery technology. One battery "tube" stores two CR123 batteries, while the other has what's called an OnCommand Reserve Battery that the … Read more

With 983 firm orders at launch, Porsche's new four-door Panamera is breathing life into the brand and will help the company record flat or slightly increased sales this year, said Michael Bartsch, COO of Porsche Cars North America.

"We now have a new level of floor traffic and inquiry, and there is a multiplier effect," Bartsch said in an interview. "This is bringing a level of business back to the dealerships and is allowing them to start the process of recovering."

Porsche's overall sales in the United States were down 32 percent to 14,… Read more

The Panamera featured in this promo video rolled into dealerships this weekend.

The four-passenger sports car is available with two engine options, a 400-horsepower, 4.8-liter V-8 and a 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged version of the same block, that goes from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds flat.

The Panamera is positioned to compete with to the Audi A8, BMW M5 and 7 Series, Maserati Quattroporte, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

With all the very expensive new cars being unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show, you would think the economy never went into recession. It did, and yet here they are, a parade of new automotive objects of lust from the likes of Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, and Rolls-Royce. Some emphasize sport, some luxury, but all have way more of each than your standard economy sedan.

Leading the parade is the spectacular new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a monster of a supercar with retro styling evoking the gull-winged 300 SL. Porsche shows off a couple of 911s, the styling only … Read more

Japanese automakers pioneered hybrid cars, but German companies have been slow to join in. At the Frankfurt auto show, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche showed off their latest efforts, a mix of research and production vehicles. Most of these cars don't stint on the power, merely using hybrid systems to boost efficiency without shooting for stellar fuel economy.

Volkswagen also comes in with a hybrid concept in its quest to build a car that will only burn one liter of fuel over 100 kilometers. And Lexus shows off a luxury compact concept with a full hybrid power train as a … Read more

Yesterday I previewed this weekend's SCORE Terrible's Primm 300 race taking place in Las Vegas. Well, this current weekend is also the time of another annual motorsport event, although it is quite different from the off road race taking place in Sin City. In fact, this race doesn't take place anywhere close to Vegas - you're gonna have to jump across the pond to the United Kingdom, for that is the locale of this year's final race for Classic Endurance Racing - the Autosport 1000 KM of Silverstone.

Classic Endurance Racing (CER) was founded in … Read more

The new Porsche flagship, the 911 Turbo, has been revealed, and it looks...well, just like the old one. So what's so new about the new 911 Turbo?

Well, for starters, the Turbo has a new engine under its familiar decklid. The new flat-six boxer engine has been bumped up to 3.8 liters and uses a combination of a variable-turbine geometry (VTG) turbocharger system, direct fuel injection (DFI), and the GT2's expansion intake manifold to create 500 horsepower. Maximum torque is up by 15, to 516 pound-feet when equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo.

When … Read more

Folks are always talking about Nissan and Porsche's Nurburgring rivalry between their heavyweights: the GT-R and 911. But the automakers may have another rivalry on their hands a short way down their respective product lines.

When the Nissan 370Z first hit the streets late last year, many automotive journalists compared the smaller, lighter Z car's performance to the midengined Porsche Cayman S. One thing these cars do have in common is that they both live in the shadow of their more exotic siblings.

Check out this video from Best Motoring that pits the 370Z (also known as the … Read more