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Ford Mustang outsold Audi TT and Porsche 911 in Germany

Despite being the antithesis of the cars Germany is known for, the new Ford Mustang was the best selling sports car in the land of schnitzel and beer last month by a whisker. The Mustang beat out the Audi TT by 780 units to 708, and it beat Germany's best known performance car, the Porsche 911, 780 to 752. That makes some sense, right? The Mustang has to be cheaper than those competitors, right? Not really. Both the EcoBoost and V8-powered Mustang have higher starting prices than the equivalent TT. The 2.3-liter, EcoBoost-powered Mustang starts at 38,000 euros (around $43,300 at today's rates), while the front-drive Audi TT starts at 35,950 euros (about $41,000). The V8-powered Mustang GT, meanwhile, starts at 43,000 euros (about $49,000), which is just 2,550 euros more than the Quattro-equipped TT. When 310 horsepower or 435 hp can be had for just a couple thousand more than 220 hp, it's easy to understand the Mustang's success. The 911, of course, is a lot more expensive than the Mustang. You can buy two Mustang GTs for the price of a single Carrera. But Ford also managed to beat out the Porsche's smaller siblings, the Boxster and Cayman twins, which sold a combined 642 vehicles. Again, the pony car is significantly cheaper, but that doesn't do much to lessen the impact of the Mustang's victory. If you're in Germany and are concerned about this American invasion, you shouldn't be (yet). The TT is Germany's best-selling sports car from January through March, with 2,299 to the Ford's 1,823. Porsche is breathing down the pony car's neck, too, with 1,811 units in 2016. It'll be interesting to see if Ford's successful March carries on into the rest of 2016. Related Video:

Weekly Recap: Porsche embarks on Mission E

Porsche's board of directors approved the company's first all-electric car Friday, signing off on production of the eye-catching Mission E concept that debuted in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's set for launch by the end of the decade. The Frankfurt concept uses lithium-ion batteries to power two synchronous motors that create more than 600 horsepower and provide a range of 311 miles on the European cycle. It's capable of hitting 62 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and can run the Nurburgring Nordschleife in less than eight minutes. In a statement, Porsche board chairman Oliver Blume called the Mission E the "beginning a new chapter in the history of the sports car." Porsche is backing that up with a roughly $1.1-billion investment that will create more than 1,000 jobs at its facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. The company will spend more than $760 million at its main site there to build a paint shop and a new assembly plant. It will also expand an engine factory to make electric motors. Porsche's renewed electric ambitions come as it grapples with fallout from parent company Volkswagen's diesel-emissions scandal. Porsche uses a VW diesel engine in the Cayenne SUV, which it stopped selling in November until a fix is found. Still, Mission E's scheduled landing could be as much as four years away – when Porsche and VW hope their diesel woes will be long over. The electric strategy is clearly a long play to provide its enthusiast owners with an efficient form of sport and luxury as fuel economy and emissions regulations tighten around the world. And if you still can't wrap your head around electric Porsches, the company also just announced plans to make the 911 Turbo and Turbo S even more powerful. Electric propulsion is part of Porsche's future, but for now at least, it isn't everything. OTHER NEWS VW sales crash 25 percent in November Finally, the other shoe dropped. Volkswagen sales plummeted 25 percent in November as fallout from the company's diesel-emissions scandal finally showed up on the sales charts. VW had managed to tread water with flat sales through September (the scandal broke more than halfway through the month) and October. The company stopped selling its 2.0-liter I4 and 3.0-liter V6 diesels as it works to make the engines complaint with emissions rules. VW admitted to rigging its diesel-powered cars so they could pass emissions tests in the United States and around the world.

Ward's Automotive Ten Best Engines of 2014 dominated by diesels, turbos

With the Car and Driver Ten Best decided, the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced and Cadillac, Ram and Subaru chalking up wins with Motor Trend, it's fair to say that the automotive awards season is in full swing. The next set of trophies to be handed out will be from Ward's Automotive, which has announced the winners of its 2014 10 Best Engines.
The latest contest was marked by the widespread emergence of diesel power and the continued success of turbocharged engines. There was even an electric motor on this year's list. In fact, only three of the ten winners were naturally aspirated and only two winners returned from last year.
"We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with the flood of new powertrains," said Ward's Automotive Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. Those new powertrains include the 83-kilowatt electric motor from the Fiat 500e, the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Ford Fiesta and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel from the Chevrolet Cruze.