Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Revealed

Porsche unveiled a prototype version of the upcoming Cayenne Hybrid SUV to the media yesterday (Friday, July 27). Expected to go into production by the end of the decade, the “green” Cayenne features a full-hybrid design where the hybrid module (clutch and electric motor) is positioned between the combustion engine and the transmission. Other unique features of the Cayenne Hybrid include the power steering, vacuum pump for the brakes and the air conditioning, all of which operate on electric power. Additionally, technical components, such as the oil pump in the Cayenne's automatic transmission, have been replaced by electrically powered units. -Continued after the jump
The press release doesn’t include any details on the engine used, but the guys at Motortrend who took the Cayenne Hybrid for a spin say that it’s equipped with VW Group’s 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine. The Germans do reveal though that they’re targeting average fuel consumption figures of 9.8 liters/100 km in the New European Driving Cycle and about 24mpg in the US FTP cycle for the Cayenne Hybrid while future developments may allow Porsche engineers to push towards an average fuel consumption figure of 8.9 liters/km (approximately 26mpg). That’s compared to 12.9 liters/km (18.2mpg) of the stock Cayenne 3.6 V6. Finally Porsche announced that the same hybrid powertrain will also be used on the 2009 Panamera sedan.
Via: Jalopnik , Source Mototrend




Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Press Release
ATLANTA, July 26, 2007 --- Porsche, a company renown for its high-performance sports cars and sport utility vehicles (SUV), this week in Stuttgart demonstrated to the media a Cayenne SUV hybrid prototype, providing a glimpse of what the company will offer to consumers by the end of the decade.
Porsche is targeting average fuel consumption figures of 9.8 liters/100 kilometers in the New European Driving Cycle and about 24 miles per gallon in the US FTP cycle for the Cayenne Hybrid, and future developments may allow Porsche engineers to push towards an average fuel consumption figure of 8.9 liters/kilometer (approximately 26 miles per gallon).
The Cayenne Hybrid will feature a full-hybrid design where the hybrid module (clutch and electric motor) is positioned between the combustion engine and the transmission rather than having the hybrid drivetrain branching output along various lines and in various directions via a planetary gearset. Porsche selected this design because the in-line configuration of the hybrid components are more compatible with the existing Cayenne platform, this system in testing is more fuel efficient, and because this configuration is a better fit for Porsche as it will provide improved acceleration and engine flexibility compared to a conventional Cayenne.
Coordinating the car's three main components - the combustion engine, the electric motor and the battery - is the Hybrid Manager, the heart of the Cayenne Hybrid. The Hybrid Manager, which oversees some 20,000 data parameters as compared to only 6,000 data parameters for a conventional engine, is one of the most powerful technologies found in any hybrid vehicle.
Other unique features of the Cayenne Hybrid designed to decrease fuel consumption include the power steering and vacuum pump for the brakes, as well as the air conditioning, which operate on electric power. Technical components, such as the oil pump in the Cayenne's automatic transmission, have been replaced by electrically powered units. The Cayenne Hybrid's electro-hydraulic steering - a first for a vehicle of its kind, will ensure the Cayenne Hybrid drives like a Porsche with predictable and safe handling characteristics and the agility that is expected of a Porsche SUV.
Porsche plans to introduce similar hybrid technology in a version of its Panamera four-door Gran Turismo. The Panamera will debut in 2009, with a hybrid to follow.

Audi A7 Rendering

Finishing off its trio of, allegedly official Audi sketches (see the A1 here and the R8 Spider here), Car Online took off the wraps on the A7, a 4door-coupe model aiming at the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The Brits support that the A7 will be previewed by a concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show with a production version following in at the 2009 Frankfurt International motor Show. If Car's sources are correct, then the A7 will most probably be based on the A6 platform using the same 3.2 V6 and 4.2 V8 FSI petrol units and 2.7 and 3.0 V6 TDI diesel units along with the Lamborghini Gallardo derived, 5.0 V10 powerhouse for the top spec S7/RS7 version.
Via: Car

2008 MINI Clubman High-Res Image Gallery

Following Friday’s leak and while we’re still awaiting for MINI to officially spill the beans, we have got a new high-res image gallery of the 2008 Clubman in our hands. Since there’s no point in repeating what we said on Friday (see here), we’ll simply direct you to the pics after the jump. Although we’re not so thrilled with the Clubman’s design, we think that tuners will get a kick out of tweaking this modern interpretation of a breadvan. -Click “Read More…” to see the pics
Via: Motorpasion

Honda Sports Ute Concept by Daniel Pearson is so Wrong that it Could be Right

In most places around the world, the words "sports" and "utility vehicle" don't make much sense together.

However, there are some exceptions, notably Australia, which through Ford's local division gave birth to the coupe utility category in the early 1930s and continues to be represented to this day by the Ford and Holden Utes, and of course, North America, with its most famous model being the Chevrolet El Camino.

To put it simple, a Coupe Utility vehicle is a passenger car model with two doors and an open cargo bed, the purpose being to bond (...or compromise) two different worlds into one automobile.

A Coupe Utility is what Daniel Pearson, a third year design student from the UK, had in mind for his Honda project aptly named the "Sports Ute". The two seater study was designed to be 4.7 meters long (185 inches) riding on a lengthy 3,025mm (119.1 inches) wheelbase, all while looking like it belongs to the same family of cars as the NSX.

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Atlanta Won't Rename Henry Ford II Avenue to Ferdinand Porsche Avenue Due to his Nazi Past

There’s no denying that the crimes committed during World War II (WWII) by Nazi Germany are among the darkest pages of mankind’s history.

It’s also no secret that Germany’s industries were providing its army with airplanes, tanks, vehicles and ammunition, and that the use of forced labor in the plants was a common practice.

Even though war ended in 1945 and the world has become a very different place now, with Germany being an ally of its former enemies, history occasionally comes back to haunt the modern Germans’ descendants.

Porsche Cars North America has invested US$100 million in building its new headquarters and a test track in a 26-acre estate close to Atlanta’s International airport.

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The Racy Girls of the 2012 Paris Motor Show on Film

The supercar and sports car spotters over at the YouTube channel Marchettino have an eye for anything powerful and exotic rolling on four wheels. You may be happy to know that they are not too shabby when it comes to girls as well.

The same can probably be said for the folks running the Shmee150 YouTube Channel. Both were on hand at the 2012 Paris Motor Show to record some of the most eye-catching models at the automakers' booths.

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Mazda Releases Huge Image Gallery for New Mazda6 Sedan and Wagon

At the Paris Auto Show, Mazda launched its new contender in the European D-segment that accounts for a little over 6.2 percent of the total passenger car market in the guise of the Mazda6 sedan and wagon models.

The Japanese carmaker says that both versions embody “the purest adaption yet” of its corporate “KODO – Soul of Motion” design philosophy, with the signature “wing” grille, flowing lines and a coupe-like roofline that has been moved back by 100mm giving the mid-size model a more dynamic character.

The 2,830 mm long wheelbase of the sedan promises ample space in the cabin, but surprisingly, the Wagon has a smaller wheelbase at 2,750mm and is also shorter at 4,800mm (the saloon is 4,865mm long, always according to Mazda).

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BMW 3-Series E30 Leaves Ferrari 458 Italia Driver Wondering What the Hell Just Happened

What started out as cool two wins over a presumably stock Nissan GT-R and a Speedart BTR 600 Porsche 911 Turbo (997) in a straight-line race from a rolling start for the Ferrari 458 Italia driver (see the videos here), quickly turned sour once he faced a couple of older, but evidently, heavily modified BMWs.

After being defeated by a late 1980s – early 1990s BMW M5 fitted with a turbocharged engine producing more than a 1,000 horsepower, the owner of the Italian supercar tried his luck against another tuned bimmer, this time, a supposedly tamer, late 1980s 3-Series Coupe E30.

Oh, how wrong he was…

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New GM App Shows Chevy Volt Owners the Real Cost of Charging Their Hybrid at Home

Plug-in hybrid vehicles claim to be much more fuel efficient, and thus cheaper to run, than regular models powered only by international combustion engines.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, though; in the case of plug-in hybrids, you have to factor in the energy consumed to charge the battery at your home, which adds to the electricity bill.

General Motors’ OnStar service is currently testing an application that will inform Chevrolet Volt owners about the cost of charging their extended-range plug-in hybrid.

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Spied: Volkswagen Filmed Trying Out XL1 Diesel-Electric Hybrid

The XL1 is Volkswagen's vision of a plug-in hybrid car that returns an amazingly low combined fuel consumption of 0.9lt/100km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK, or to be precise, MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) since this figure includes the use of both the internal combustion engine and the battery.

The two-seater model was presented as a concept last year and is now heading for very limited run production starting from next year - if all goes according to plan. VW's engineers were filmed in Spain completing new tests with the car as they prepare for its introduction.

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Nissan to Facelift Leaf for U.S. Production, Add a Budget Version in Early 2013 to Boost Poor Sales

That the Leaf hasn't been the success Nissan hoped for, is not a secret. This year through September, the Japanese carmaker delivered only 5,212 Leaf EVs in the United States, down 27.6 percent from the first nine months of 2011 when it sold 7,199 units.

Both these numbers are a far cry from the 20,000 Leafs Nissan wanted to sell in the car's first fiscal year on the market.

However, Nissan isn't sitting with its arms crossed waiting for a miracle to happen, as the company plans to add a lower-cost variant to the range as part of a 2013 model facelift, Autonews reported today.

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Along Came a Spyder: Jay Leno Gets to Drive the World’s Only Open-Top Lexus LFA

We probably don’t need to tell you that comedian/TV host Jay Leno is a car nut who has his own show called, Jay Leno’s Garage; but we will, just for the sake of those few who may not have never heard of him.

Being a triple-A-list celebrity with his own series means that Leno is frequently invited by carmakers to drive their latest and greatest vehicles. Occasionally, he may even go ahead and buy one of them to add to his collection.

This time, the 62-year old TV host was invited to Toyota City in Japan to witness firsthand the construction methods of the Lexus LFA.

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The Last Aircoolers: Three Porsche 993 Finds with Under 4,500 Miles on the Odo

Finding a very low mileage example of the last air-cooled Porsche and arguably, one of the best interpretations of the classic 911 styling, the 993 manufactured and sold between late 1993 and early 1998, isn't as hard as one would think.

In fact, upon looking on eBay today, we discovered three pristine 911s from the 1993-1998 era, all of which have less than 4,500 miles on them.

The oldest of the three is a 1996 Porsche 911 C2, or Carrera 2, that describes the rear-wheel drive base model. It is finished in a special order Turquoise Metallic paint, which brings to mind memories of the 1989 Porsche Panamericana Concept.

The car's 3.6-liter boxer engine is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox and has covered only 3,745 miles (6,025 km) since new. The highest bid at the time we wrote this piece was $40,100 (€30,800), but the seller's reserve had not been met.

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This is What You Get When You Show a Russian Driving Instructor the Middle Finger

A driving student in St. Petersburg, Russia, got more than what she for bargained when the young woman decided to use…'hand' language to tell an instructor what she thought about him and his cranky attitude.

Xenia Kolotenko, an aspiring journalist, told Russian news site Neva24 that she went to take a driving exam along with her instructor at the traffic police on August 31.

The instructor stepped out of the car and let Kolotenko do some trial runs in her vehicle. However, the woman took almost twice as long as normally required to complete the tests, something that annoyed the driving instructor who stopped her and told that if she can't move her pace, it would better if she went home.

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Gundam Style 2013 Toyota Auris Hatchback Looks Kinda Cool

In case you read that wrong, it's 'Gundam style' as in the Japanese animated television series about giant robots, and not 'Gangnam Style' as in the music video by South Korean rapper PSY.

The new 2013 Toyota Auris was selected for a cosmetic tune dedicated to the anime cartoon, with the Japanese automaker's in-house tuning arm Modellista taking responsibility for the transformation.

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French Minister Filmed Exceeding Speed Limit by 16km/h in Renault Zoe Outside the Elysée Palace

Saying, “Let’s see what she’s got in her” and gunning a car for all it’s worth is a phrase uttered a billion times by drivers around the world. Doing so may or may not get you into trouble.

French minister of “industrial recovery” Arnaud Montebourg, certainly got into a bit of trouble when he uttered that phrase while taking the ZOE, Renault’s all-electric supermini, for a spin outside the Elysée Palace.

Unfortunately for the minister, the TV crew that was in the car filmed him hitting 66 km/h (41 mph), exceeding the 50 km/h (31 mph) speed limit by 16 km/h (10 mph).

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Dacia Highlights Attributes of 2013 Logan Sedan and Sandero in New Ads

The Renault Group's budget-brand Dacia came to this year's Paris Motor Show with a host of new goods, including the redesigned 2013 Logan Sedan and Sandero five-door hatchback and its high-riding sibling, the Sandero Stepway.

The three-related models bring more modern styling touches inside and out, new standard and optional amenities such as a multimedia system with a 7-inch touch screen, navigation and Bluetooth connectivity, and a new Renault-sourced 0.9-liter turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine producing 88HP (90PS).

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Volkswagen Marks Touareg's 10th Birthday with Special Edition X

It has been 10 years since Volkswagen entered the mid-size crossover segment for the very first with the Touareg Mk1 that was displayed for the world to see at the 2002 Paris Motor Show.

To commemorate the Touareg's 10th anniversary, the German carmaker has prepared a limited edition version of the second-generation model, appropriately named "X" (the Roman symbol for 10), which sports a number of special features.

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Dumb and Dumber Attempt to Restrain a Honda CR-X del Sol in Canada

A raggedy rag Honda Civic del Sol (also known as the CR-X del Sol and the new CR-X, depending on the region) parked on the grass near Lake Beaulac in Quebec, Canada? Check.

Two enthusiastic young men prepared to sacrifice their safety and well-being for the entertainment of their fellow citizens? Check.

A cameraman on hand to record the incident? Check.

All that's left for Canada's Lloyd and Harry is to step on a wooden plank and tell the driver of the Civic del Sol to push the pedal to the metal. You can probably guess what happens next…

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Seat Prices New Toledo from £12,495 in the UK, First Deliveries in December

The fourth generation of the Seat Toledo just made its global debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. The Spanish brand’s new compact saloon is a “sister” model to fellow VW Group member Skoda’s Rapid and it promises to offer a spacious interior in spite of the car’s compact dimensions.

Seat has announced that order books are now open in the UK, with first deliveries scheduled to start on December 1. Prices range from £12,495 and top out at £17,840, with insurance group ratings being as low as 8E.

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DMC Supercharges Maserati GranCabrio to New Horsepower Heights

After the GranTurismo coupe, it's time for German luxury and sports car tuner DMC to unleash a conversion kit of the convertible model of the Maserati series, named GranCabrio.

The comprehensive tune includes engine and suspension upgrades, along with new rims and several carbon fiber exterior parts for the soft-top beauty from Modena.

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Euro Debt Crisis Reaches VW's Front Door, Cuts 2012 W. European Sales Target by 140,000 Vehicles

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. The European sovereign debt crisis that started in Greece and spread to other countries including Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, is beginning to have a deeper effect on companies like Volkswagen.

The continent's largest carmaker has cut its internal 2012 sales target for Western Europe by up to 140,000 vehicles, the German news daily Handelsblatt reported on Friday.

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