Addressing market segments is one of the trickier bits of automotive marketing. Many times, trying to compete at every market segment just proves to be difficult to sustain. Makes you wonder why Volkswagen owned Porsche has to come out with a “baby” Boxster.

Porsche has unveiled plans of making the next incarnation of the Boxster bigger to make room in the range for a smaller car that’s based on the Volkswagen BlueSport.The new Boxster will feature an overall length of 4.4 meters to allow for more space for both passengers and luggage.

The baby Boxster is designed to address a market segment for small roadsters while milking the investments made by Volkswagen in developing the BlueSport. Component sharing will drive the costs of production down and we’ve seen this done in many luxury vehicles in the past. Aston Martin used to feature cheap parts from Ford and Volvo when it was still Ford-owned.

So I guess there’s no use trying to change things. Even the upmarket sports car makers are embracing the green revolution and die-hard gearheads can only hope that it’s because of the legislative pressure.

Porsche is bent on delivering hybrids. The firm has confirms that the Porsche Panamera Hybrid will be launched next year. Not really sure how many people would be interested in getting the hybrid of the butt-ugly saloon but Porsche’s hyping it pretty good.

Porsche also confirms that the 918 Spyder hybrid supercar concept will be pushed into production. The car is set to be (sort-of) the successor to the fleet-topping Carrera GT. The 918 Spyder is hoped to be Porsche’s ultimate showcase of its hybrid technology.

And the figures aren’t shoddy too. Powered by a 500 bhp V8 and two electric motors that combine for 218 bhp allowing the car to sprint to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and go all the way to 198 mph. The car also boasts of a mind-boggling 78 mpg.

Porsche claims that the concept has been well-received by the public and loyal customers hence the push.

Porsches might not be the prettiest things to look at but on a technical standpoint, they’re basically showcases. From a basically flawed rear-engine layout, Porsche has managed to create amazing machines.

Check out this production-ready Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Porsche fans would only be delighted to see another hardcore Porsche.

The GT2 RS boasts of a wider body and numerous aero bits which include spoilers and other carbon fiber pieces. Aside from their function, the kit makes the car look just a tad meaner.

The insides have been stripped out for lightweightedness. An extra 100 kg has been taken off as a result. That just means more power to weight.

As for the power, Porsche hasn’t handed out the exact figures but the flat six with twin-turbos can easily dish out more than 600 bhp.

It’s quite rare to come by a perfect car. Even upper market cars would (by chance) have some defects in them.

Toyota ran into that problem by really making their car mass market cars so there’s little excuse for marquees like Porsche to issue recalls due to faulty workmanship.

Anyway, Porsche’s made a hash of the seatbelts in the Panamera and has now issued a recall on all Panameras including the S, the 4S, and the Turbo.

Porsche claims that “[t]he seatbelt mount could detach from the anchoring system when the seatbelt is fastened or opened. In the event of a crash, the seatbelt may not provide adequate protection for the seat occupant, which may increase the risk of injury or death.”

Holy crap, right? While Toyotas will try to kill you by accelerating all of a sudden at least they made sure that the seatbelts work. With a powerful car like the Panamera, defective seatbelts are just downright scary.

Porsche owners can contact 800-545-8039 for details on the recall.

Porsche’s been through a rough spot lately but it seems that they’re up and about doing business as usual. Now, the Porsche Cayenne isn’t exactly the best SUV and is probably one of the ugliest of cars but sales have been doing okay.

With the green revolution taking over the industry, Porsche aims to make sure that the Cayenne is updated for that. So their plan now is to make sure that 1 in 7 Cayennes will be S Hybrids.

The Cayenne S Hybrid variant produces 380 hp from its V8 and electric motor pairing and is pegged to achieve 28 mpg. The hybrid option is expected to cost $4,000 more than the standard.

That $4,000 would probably be too much for the ordinary buyer but since this is Porsche we’re talking about, it’s the high end market. Their customers are likely rich people who don’t care if they drive a butt-ugly car as long as they can feel smug driving a hybrid with “Porsche” stamped on it.

US sales are to begin by the fall.

Porsche still is quite happy with how the Panamera is doing and development on the car hasn’t ceased yet. This here’s Porsche’s take on a four-door convertible which meant lopping the top off the Panamera.

A series of patent applications showcases the car. Porsche officials have mentioned that the car might not really make it to production but the patent applications in the US hint differently.

It is possible, however, that it’s just a way of safeguarding Porsche intellectual property so until we get to see a concept or an official statement from Porsche, it might not be wise to hold one’s breath.

The problem with creating a four-door convertible is the need for other structural reinforcement. With the roof gone especially with the B-pillar gone (that’s the pillar found in between front and rear windows), the car needs to add on weight for additional stiffening of parts.

Typically, convertibles cost more to develop due to these structural reinforcements. However, no automaker has made a convertible version cheaper than the hard top. Production costs don’t really seem to matter since it’s the styling that automakers usually put a premium on.

Source: Autocar

Check out the new Porsche Cayenne. It’s still ugly as heck but at least it’s better. Thing is, Porsche just won’t be able to do away with their SUV since it practically accounts for about half of their profits, so the best way for them to move forward with the car is to improve on it.

Porsche promises that the new model is lighter and more efficient than the older model thanks to a simplified transmission. They’ve taken away the low-range gearbox so there’s no real chance for going offroading in this one. Not that the Cayenne has been at par with the like of Range Rovers in offroading ability.

Aluminum bits in the hood, doors and axles also helped the car keep trim. The car will be powered by a choice of engines including a gasoline V8, a gasoline V6, a diesel V6, a hybrid with a V6 gasoline.

The 4.8L V8 dishing out 395 bhp will be found in the S while a turbocharged version dishing out 493 bhp will be found in the Turbo.

So Porsche decided to slap on a V6 to their four-door performance saloon. It took a while before they finally came out with it but here it is – the Porsche Panamera V6.

The car packs a 3.6L V6 engine that dishes out 296 bhp and and 296 lb-ft of torque. The engine channels power to either two and four wheels. The car gets a PDK dual-clutch.

The V6 Panamera’s lighter than the S and 4S counterparts by 66 lbs. Might not be much but that’s the difference of having a child in the car helping just even a wee bit in the economy figures. The car also gets start-stop as standard.

The car will be officially launched at the Beijing auto show. Prices will start at £61,461 for the two-wheel drive, and £66,929 for the four-wheel drive.

The new Porsche Cayenne might be due for unveiling for a couple of months at the Geneva Motor Show but official details have been leaked out. The Cayenne will still be a four-wheel drive upscale market SUV.

The second-generation version will be featuring three gasoline engines as part of the line-up. The entry-level Cayenne gets a 296 bhp 3.6L V6. Upper on the trim scale is the 395 bhp 4.8L V8 for the Cayenne S. At the top of the range is the 4.8L V8 for the Cayenne Turbo dishing out 493 bhp.

Also planned for select markets is a diesel version. No details on the engine yet but it will most likely be based on the 237 bhp 3L V6 diesel of the old Cayenne Diesel.

The biggest update, however, will probably be the Cayenne Hybrid which will feature a 3.0L supercharged V6 dishing out 328 bhp combined withj a 46 bhp electric motor.

The new Cayenne is said to be lighter and more spacious than the old one. Too damn bad, Porsche would probably not be updating its design language any time soon. The Cayenne still looks butt ugly.

Source: Autocar

Porsche seems to finally get into the groove since its sale to the Volkswagen group. Just a few weeks ago, it revealed its development plan for the next five years and surely, Porsche fans will be in for a treat with the number of revisions and new models in tow.

Now Porsche announced at the LA motor show that a hybrid version of its speedy four-door is currently in the works.

Porsche already has some hybrid work done and its a possibility for them to use the tech in the Cayenne hybrid but will most likely be tweaked for the use in the Panamera.

The hybrid might drop the 4WD drive system both to keep the price down and for thge car to be able to use the the Cayenne’s hybrid system.

The car is expected to go on sale by 2011.

Porsche just unleashed the latest incarnation of the Porsche Boxster – the Spyder. Basically, it’s a faster and lighter version of the popular coupe and it’s not limited edition either

Powering the Boxster Spyder is the same 3.4L from the current Cayman S which pumps out 315 bhp and generates a max torque of 273 lb-ft.

The great feat in this car is the efforts Porsche put in to save weight on the car. Typically, lopping the top off requires the car to put on weight due to the structural reinforcements needed to stiffen up the car.

This reduced the car’s weight by 80kg compared to the Boxster S and even rivals an entry-level 911 with its 246 bhp per tonne power-to-weight ratio. How’s that for a Spyder?

If only Porsche does something with their outdated styling.

Source: Autocar

Not too long ago, in the heat of the whole Volkswagen takeover of Porsche, word has it that VW will be killing of the Panamera and the Cayenne, citing that VW already has cars slotted into the market segments the Porsche cars cater to.

But it sure looks like Volkswagen will be milking the Panamera first before it proceeds to do anything with the car.

Porsche is reported to be considering a covertible version of its speedy four-door. However, word has it that the car will lose two doors together with its hard top roof but will cost more than the sedan.

Porsche also has initially announced that it will offer a V6 and a Hybrid Panamera before it offers a convertible. Looks like Porsche has quite a lot in its hands for the near future.

Is it just me or is Volkswagen seems to be punishing Porsche due to Porsche’s failed takeover of VW? I’m sure Porsche never intended their marquee to be a “budget” brand. Too bad between the two of VW’s sports car brands, they’d be favoring Lambo. And there’s Audi as well.

Anyway, Porsche is working on a “budget” sports car based on the VW Bluesport concept. For a refresher, the Bluesport’s a two-seater mid-engined coupe that packs a 2.0L diesel. A bit boring but the car’s designed with efficiency and emissions in mind.

The car will be slotted below the Porsche Boxster since Porsche intends for the car to be “significantly cheaper” than the Boxster.Volkswahen chief Martin Winterkorn plans to sell 150,000 of these cars in three years time.

He also tipped future Porsche models for production including new versions of the Porsche cars it previously announced to kill off (the Cayenne and the Panamera).

Source: Autocar

Volkswagen’s getting some really good payback for Porsche’s failed attempt to take over VW. Porsche has been put on a very iffy position with two cars (the Panamera and Cayenne) in its fleet getting the axe.

While VW confirms that they plan to have Porsche strengthen their sports car line, it seems that they’ll be having Porsche work on some other “special” projects.

New Porsche boss Michael Macht confirmed that the company will indeed be working on an electric vehicle that projected to be on sale within five to ten years. Why the wait? It’s because Porsche wants an EV that performs just as well as one running on dead dinosaurs.

Aside from EVs, Porsche is challenged to create more marketable models in an effort to sell 150,000 units – part of a mid to long-term plan. The new models – one based on Volkswagen BlueSport roadster concept, a Panamera coupe, and one based on the Roxster concept.

Oh. It seems that Porsche does have a new car ready for the market when everyone seems that new offerings will be delayed due to the current changes in their management.

This here’s the new Porsche 911 Turbo which Porsche promises to be a faster, lighter and more powerful than its previous incarnations. Obviously, Porsche wants to get back to the fight especially with better performing cars from rivals like Ferrari, Lamborghini and even Nissan (with the GT-R) coming out.

The first major update is with the engine as Porsche drops the 3.6L engine for the direct-injection 3.8L flat six from the Carrera S. Revised twin turbos and uprated intercooler and fuel system ups the power by 20 bhp to generate 493 bhp.

The engine is mated to either a standard 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual clutch PDK gearbox. The car gets from standstill to 6 2mph in 3.4sec with the PDK gearbox and can cruise to a top speed rises by 2mph, to 194mph though we all know that with a good bit of wind, even the previous car can breach 200 mph.

The PDK gearbox now also sports some proper flappy paddle shifters ditching the old double-function shift buttons used in older models.

It’s about damn time Porsche finally does something to their 911 line. Until this announcement, we’ve been settling for tuned 911s for our 911 fix.

The takeover of Porsche by the Volkswagen group is on.

Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking quits. Joining him is financial officer Holger Haerter. Both departures are of immediate effect. With these, the merger between Porsche and Volkswagen will be on its way.

Wiedeking had been with Porsche for 16 years and made moves to buy out Volkswagen. However, those attempts proved to be disastrous and placed Porsche down in a hole. Porsche loaned £8 billion in its drive to take over VW.

As Wiedeking goes down in the history books as the man who led Porsche to disaster, he will be living a very comfortable life if he decides to simply retire. He is said to take a £80 million severance package. Last year, reports placed his salary at £63 million.

Porsche’s supervisory board confirmed Wiedeking departure after its meeting.

Now this deal will surely make Volkswagen a force in the automotive industry and will make them a real threat to be the German automaker. Volkswagen has offered Porsche’s major stakeholders 8 billion Euros (around $11 billion) to buy Porsche’s sports car business.

Reports have it that Porsche’s controlling families (Porsche and Piech) will agree on the deal later this week on the 23rd. With the deal, Volkswagen will own a 49.9 percent of Posche AG. This serves as a prelude to Volkswagen’s buyout of the sports car business. The merger will create consolidate 10 brands.

As for Porsche, the sale will help the company deal with its 10 billion euro debt that it had incurred.

Not all people are happy with the move. Current Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, who is against the sale, plans on taking a 100 million euro severance package.

The Porsche Panamera might not be fast enough to beat the Royal Mail from the Scilly Isles to Orkney but it is still fast enough to blitz through the Nurburgring.

The Panamera Turbo set a new Nurburgring record as the fastest four-door production car. Driven by the Porsche’s test driver, the Panamera Turbo finished a lap around the ‘Ring in just 7:56 seconds.

Emphasis on “production” here. That means it’s all factory spec. Still, that meant that the Panamera had 493 bhp and 517 lb-ft of torque at its disposal coming from a 4.8L V8.

The lap time trump’s the Cadillac CTS-V’s previous record set last year by 3 seconds.

Porsche is known to be a real competitive group when it comes to slugging it around on the ‘Ring, even contesting the lap times set by the Nissan GT-R, especially since the GT-R outclassed the 911 GT3. At least it’s got another record for bragging rights.

Porsche is in for a rough ride, as the German sports car manufacturer is struggling to pay off the debts it incurred in the company’s flurry to acquire a bigger stake in Volkswagen.

Things have reached a point where Porsche is fearing rejection of a loan worth 1.75 billion Euro requested from German state bank KfW, as the company tries to service some 9 billion Euro ($12.5 billion) in debt.

Porsche, as with most other companies in the automotive industry, is struggling in terms of sales and profitability. Porsche sales were down 28 percent over the previous 9 months, with only 53,635. Sources say that sales figures of the company’s Cayman and Boxster models were the most affected.

Despite that, Porsche is confident that it will still return profits—pre-tax, of course. Porsche’s profit margins, as claimed by the company, is just under double digits. In contrast, Porsche consistently had a 13 to 20 percent profit margin over the last 10 years.

We’ve all heard about that Lamborghini dealer in Orange County that closed shop amid a ton of fraud. Now, here comes an Infiniti dealer to provide some more laughs. This dealer, located in the Mile-High City of Denver, allegedly pressured an employee to steal a customer’s Porsche Cayman in order to make a sale.

The plan was to steal the Cayman so that the customer can fully switch to an Infiniti vehicle. The customer was allegedly “sick” of making his monthly payments for the more expensive Porsche, said employee Robert Yarbrough—the guy who was asked to steal the vehicle.

Yarbrough, in legal documents filed in court, said that dealership chief Tony Drees told him to “get rid of” the car. To egg Yarbrough on, Drees apparently told him that the keys would be left inside so that it won’t qualify as theft.

Long story short, Yarbrough refused and is now claiming that he was fired by Drees for this reason. Drees, on the other hand, says Yarbrough got fired because five cars were stolen from the lot on Yarbrough’s watch as the inventory manager. Oi. What the F, indeed.

Volkswagen halted merger talks with Porsche on the day more plans for the tie-in would have been developed, citing the latter company’s lack of readiness for such a deal.

A spokesman for the company said that Porsche “recognised at the end of the week that (it) is lacking several fundamental conditions for the discussions.” This stems for Porsche’s difficulty in paying off loans used to acquire a bigger stake in Volkswagen.

Of course, this setback could only be a delay to the proceedings. Many experts believe that VW is only waiting for Porsche to make their plans more concrete where the tie-in is concerned. That is, Porsche has to show clearer restructuring strategies.

While Porsche already has a majority stake in Volkswagen, Porsche has heavy debts that greatly put much of the influence still in VW’s hands. Porsche wants some control, but as of now, a merged company will have to operate with VW as its base and with VW execs at the helm.

The battle for the speedy four-door supercars rage on as the 2010 Porsche Panamera is debuts in the Shanghai Auto Show. The choice of stage reveals quite the interesting turn in marketing strategies by high-profile car makers today.

The Panamera is set to be the fourth model in Porsche’s line joining the 911, the Boxster/Cayman and Cayenne. The Panamera, aside from being a four-door car, will get an engine up front dishing out 400 horses with a 500-hp twin turbo coming as variant.

The Panamera is set to slug it out with other four-door pseudo-supercars like the Aston Martin Rapide, the Maserati Quattroporte, and the Lamborghini Estoque.

The car costs $89,800 for the Panamera S, while the all-wheel drive Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo runs for $93,800 and $132,600, respectively. The car is set to be on sale in the US by October 17 later this year.

Source: Porsche

According to reports, Porsche has managed to secure $13.6 billion in loans, which will be used to support the automaker’s bid to acquire an even bigger share in Volkswagen.

Currently, Porsche holds a 50.76 percent stake in Volkswagen, but the goal is to increase that number even more. However, earlier this year, Porsche stated that it would ensure enough Volkswagen shares remained in the open market for investor trading.

Porsche had initially applied for $17 billion in loans, but this was denied by the banking consortium that handled the existing loan that Porsche refinanced. However, the bankers still approved the somewhat-reduced $13.6 billion in loans despite being scared off by sales that continue to drop and the bleak outlook confronting the automotive industry.

It remains unclear what Porsche hopes to gain aside from added equity. There’s the Volkswagen workers council and an existing law in Volkswagen that limits decision-making powers, as well as a 20.2-percent blocking minority in the hands of the state of Lower Saxony.

Source: Motor Authority

Porsche will be making a limited-run Cayenne, called the GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 that gives the mid-size luxury SUV a more aggressive and radical look.

The Design Edition 3 gets a dark metallic-gray paint scheme with black hood and side stripes, complemented by 21-inch alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, and a roof spoiler. This is matched by black leather upholstery for the interior. The interior also sports various other extra features: a 3-spoke multifunction steering wheel, electric-powered adjustable seats, and a premium Bose surround system with 14 speakers.

Of course, the focus is on appearance, so the GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 has the standard GTS power plant—the 4.8-liter V8 mated to a Tiptronic S six-speed transmission. This pushes the vehicle to 405 brake horsepower and a top speed of 156mph.

The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 can be ordered in May. With the enhanced looks and de luxe interior features, it should be worth the added price tag even without any modifications to the powertrain. It’s already a GTS, anyway.

Source: Autocar

If you’re looking for a way to burn money, then here’s one for you – buy the Porsche Panamera. That way, you can have your family riding with you in a really fast four-door.

The Panamera S packs a 4.8L V8 dishing out 400 hp and blitzes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. All the way, it can go up to a blistering 175 mph. There’s also the AWD version -the 4S which is speedier with a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds.

Price of the base model starts at $89,800 and 4S at $93,800. If you want to go the full nine, you can write-off 1$32,600 for the Panamera Turbo with comes a 4.8L twin-turbo V8 dishing out 500, 0-60 in 4 seconds flat and top speed of 188 mph.

Though honestly, why would you want to drive this design travesty. If you’re looking for a super sporty four-door, I suggest you get the new Aston Rapide, Maserati Quattroporte, or the Lambo Estoque (if it will ever be put to production).