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Race Recap: 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans defines 'endurance'

Commenting on the rush of events that rocked beginning and end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans said "the race is about the ability to endure, not just the ability of drivers to do what they do for a long time." The entire race machine, all the way down to the pit boards and radios, has to survive the stress and abuse of the entire day. This was the race to prove those words.
There were two Toyotas, two Porsches and three Audis, five of the seven led the race at some point, six of the seven ran in the top three. Toyota will be hugely disappointed that it didn't win when its car and drivers were so, so strong, but they gave Audi the kind of scare we haven't seen since the best of Peugeot's days, and Toyota did a better job of it even in the loss. Porsche blew away everyone's expectations, falling 3.5 hours short of a fairy tale ending that would have made Disney cry.
But Le Mans doesn't really do fairy tales. Well, not that fairy tale. Audi's Twitter handle during the event was #welcomechallenges. As usual, Le Mans answered for the entire field.

2015 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S gets faster, more powerful [w/video]

Porsche just isn't letting development of the Cayenne Turbo S cease. The 2014 edition was unveiled at last year's Detroit Auto Show boasting 550 horsepower from the brand's 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8, and it could hit 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds to a 175 mph top speed. Those seemed like very impressive specs for an SUV, but only a year later, the German brand has revealed an even more powerful take on its flagship trim in the model lineup. The 2015 Cayenne Turbo S now makes 562 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque from the same V8. The key to seeing such a significant boost in grunt so quickly is that the two turbos are now integral and are located directly in the exhaust manifolds. Porsche's eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox still routes power to all four wheels. All of the tweaks let the SUV hit 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and a 176 mph to speed. Stopping should come quite rapidly too thanks to 16.5-inch diameter ceramic brake discs up front with 10-piston calipers. Of course, the Cayenne needs to be able to put that added grunt to good use. Porsche claims that the model can lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:59.74. Comparatively, the 550-hp Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR previously touted its SUV 'Ring lap record with a circuit in 8:14 in 2014. The Turbo S doesn't try hard to show off its added prowess, though. Up front, the bumper and undersides of the door mirrors are done in high-gloss black paint. Meanwhile, the roof spoiler and wheel arches are body color. The 21-inch wheels with black edges provide a little flash, and LED headlights are standard. The interior should be comfy too with black and creme leather and carbon fiber accents. The whole package rings up for $157,300, plus $995 destination and delivery, and US deliveries start in late April. Check it out in Porsche's video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The new Cayenne Turbo S The top athlete among SUVs At the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche is also introducing the new Cayenne Turbo S – the top model of the sporty SUV model series. Its re-engineered 4.8-liter V8 biturbo engine now develops 570 hp (419 kW) and 800 Nm (590 ft lb) of torque. A chassis that is tuned for maximum driving dynamics and packs a wide range of control systems also makes the Cayenne Turbo S a genuine top athlete.

Despite premium carmakers going downmarket, luxury auto sales stick at 10-11%

According to research conducted by global information company IHS Automotive, the leporine birthing of new models by luxury manufacturers over the past six years hasn't increased their market share in the US. Even as car sales reached 15.6 million units, IHS says what's happened instead is that luxury buyers are merely moving from one brand to another, moving from larger luxury vehicles into hot segments like compact luxury crossovers or leaving the market at the same rate as other buyers enter.
Whether broken out by makes or by segment, market share has rollercoastered inside a narrow band from 10.5 to 11.5 percent since "at least" 2008. Closer investigation reveals the shifting boundaries in the aspirational pond, with brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi gaining territory as Lexus and Lincoln lost it, and Saab and Hummer were buried, dead, under it. One neat note is that Tesla has gone from a share of zip to .12 percent.
The subcompact and compact crossover segments show growth, with those little high-riders jumping from .3 percent to 1.16 percent of overall industry sales. Their rise, though, is concomitant with the decline of four other segments: compact and midsize cars and fullsize cars and SUVs. We think the next few years that will tell if the small-car expansion can overcome the large-car retraction, with a phalanx of smaller offerings like the CLA only recently hitting the market and others like the GLA, Macan and Q1 doing so in the near future.