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Porsche Australia price cuts in excess of $36,000 irks customers

Have you ever gone to the store, only to become irked after learning that the new [*insert widget here*] that you bought just last week has gone through a price drop? If you're particularly thrifty, even if it's only a couple of bucks, you probably brought in your receipt to see if the store would issue you a credit for the difference. Now, imagine that the widget in question isn't a minor purchase, it's a Porsche - and the price drop isn't just a few bucks - it's thousands.
That's the unhappy scenario that recently faced a number of Australian luxury car buyers and the uncomfortable conversation awaiting the German automaker. According to GoAuto, Porsche Australia recently whacked up to $36,000 off the price of its models in order to jumpstart sales Down Under - the Panamera range itself saw cuts between $5,500 and more than $36,000. The aggressive price cut was a strategy designed to drive sales of more than 3,000 cars locally, a yearly goal originally set for 2018, but now hoped for as early as 2016.
Australia is known for its comparatively high car prices, so the dramatic price cuts were undoubtedly welcome news to potential Porsche shoppers. However, around 50 existing customers were understandably agitated by the reductions because they purchased their cars just before the adjustments took effect. Not only did they stand to lose out on the deals, they also had good reason to fear that their new cars' residual values would take a beating.

Audi spearheads development of an ultra-luxurious EV code-named Landjet

The rumors claiming Audi wants to release a model positioned above the A8, and the reports of an ongoing electric car development program called Artemis internally, have seemingly converged. Citing sources inside the carmaker, a German media outlet reported the firm is busily creating a super-luxurious EV code-named Landjet. Audi is leading the development process, but sister companies Bentley and Porsche will reportedly receive their own version of the Landjet. All three models will likely take the form of three-row SUVs with generous dimensions. They'll be so big that none of Audi's production facilities will be able to manufacture them, according to an anonymous insider who spoke with German newspaper Handelsblatt. Luckily, Volkswagen makes vans, too. It's too early to tell what will power the Landjets. Audi assigned some of its most brilliant engineers to Project Artemis, and the technology they develop will permeate the three EVs before trickling down into cheaper models in the group. Expect high performance, a high driving range, and semi-automated driving technology. If the report is accurate, the Landjet vehicles will enter production in Hanover, Germany, by the end of 2024. The facility currently makes the Volkswagen Transporter, which is a direct descendant of the rear-engined Bus sold for decades, and it will start manufacturing the production version of the ID.Buzz concept in the coming years. Volkswagen hasn't commented on the report, and car companies rarely address speculation, but its Commercial Vehicles division released a statement in November 2020 that confirms the Hanover site will begin building SUVs about halfway through the 2020s. It's a major shift for a factory normally tasked with manufacturing vans. "Our main plant in Hanover is becoming the production site for three completely new premium electric vehicles in the Group. These D-SUVs are genuine flagship projects: premium, 100% electric, and highly automated," said Carsten Intra, the head of Volkswagen's Commercial Vehicles division, in a statement. He added the firm will invest about 680 million euros (about $807 million) to build a new assembly line, among other upgrades.

Ruf RGT 4.2 offers 518 hp of naturally aspirated power

Ruf has a reputation for building some fast interpretations of the Porsche 911, and the company's latest RGT 4.2 at the Geneva Motor Show provides an interesting point of comparison compared to the new GT3 RS that's debuting there. In terms of pure power, the Ruf wins out. The company crafts a flat six with 4.2-liters of displacement making 518 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. In contrast, the latest GT3 RS gets 500 ponies and 338 lb-ft of twist from its direct-injected 4.0-liter mill. Depending on your desires, the RGT 4.2 might have the preferred gearbox too with its six-speed manual versus the Porsche's PDK. Styling is also going to come down to personal tastes between these two. The RGT 4.2 has an almost old-school racing look with its bolted-on fender flares, five-spoke wheels, thick carbon fiber rear wing and lower front air dam. Inside, there's also an integrated roll cage. The RS, on the contrary, appears thoroughly modern with its big fender intakes at the back, slashes just behind the front wheels, CFRP hood and magnesium roof. Check out Ruf's naturally aspirated monster on the Geneva show floor in the gallery, above. The RGT 4.2 maintains a long tradition of Ruf supercars with its outrageous driving performance. Unveiled in 2000, the first RGT was characterised by its powerful, torquey normally-aspirated flat-six engine. With a significantly reduced all-up weight and sports-oriented suspension system, the RGT was an extremely impressive driving machine.Now, in 2015, the RGT remains true its original concept, though its external appearance is clearly more athletic. The wheel arches are more bulbous and the front facade presents huge round air intakes for more effective cooling. The chassis is reinforced by RUF's hallmark Integrated Roll Cage (IRC). Propulsion is provided by its virile 4.2-litre six-cylinder, normally-aspirated engine, developing 525bhp and 500Nm of torque, featuring dry sump lubrication with external oil tank. A proper driving machine for sure POWER 525 PS / 386 kW @ 8.370/min TORQUE 500 Nm @ 5.820/min DISPLACEMENT 4178ccm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual gearbox TOP SPEED 322 km/h FUEL CONSUMPTION urban 19,8 l/100km non-urban 9,8l/100km combined 13,6 l/100km CO2 emissions 317g/km Effizienzklasse G Related Video: