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The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda

Porsche already considering even more hardcore Cayman GT4 RS?

We're not sure what kind of person would look at the new Porsche Cayman GT4 and say "that's not enough," but we're sure they're out there. And to satisfy just such a customer, Porsche could very well offer a GT4 RS version in the future. "This is just the beginning of the era. I would be interested in doing a Cayman GT4 RS version, but at the moment we didn't even talk about such a thing. If the customers call for something like this we could think about it." These are the words of Andreas Preuninger, speaking with Evo at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show this week. As head of Porsche's GT line, Preuninger and his team are responsible for creating hardcore track models like the 911 GT3, the new 911 GT3 RS and – for the first time – the new Cayman GT4. Clearly buoyed by the early success of the GT4, Prenuninger is already looking towards the next step. Considering that the existing model already packs a 3.8-liter flat six with 385 horsepower and the manual transmissions so many GT3 fans miss, we're not sure how much more they could get out of the Cayman – but we'll sure enjoy watching them try.

Porsche planning something track-focused for Geneva [w/poll]

At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show next month, Porsche has confirmed that it will be showcasing two potentially exciting new models: One is the new Cayman GT4 we've already seen, but we don't know what the other will be just yet. All the German automaker is saying at the moment is that, "the second new model is another exceptional Porsche that sets new standards on the racetrack" and that "this vehicle confirms the sports car manufacturer's commitment to high performance sports cars that manage a very special link between everyday driving and motorsports." Given those two statements, we can probably rule out a crossover or sedan at one end of the spectrum or a purely competition-spec racer at the other. The likelihood is, then, that Porsche's surprise for Geneva will be the new 911 GT3 RS. But then it could be the Boxster-based convertible counterpart to the Cayman GT4 (whether dubbed Boxster GT4, Boxster Spyder or something else), or even a track-tuned version of the 918 Spyder to take on the McLaren P1 GTR and Ferrari FXX K. We'll just have to sit tight to find out, but you're welcome to read the press release below and tell us what you think Zuffenhausen has in store for us at the Swiss expo this year. Double world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show 2015 Porsche shows two new high-performance cars for the first time Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is celebrating the world premiere of two extreme sports cars at this year's Geneva International Motor Show. The new Cayman GT4 is the first high-performance sports car belonging to the GT family that is based on the mid-engine coupes. Clocking a lap time of seven minutes and 40 seconds on the North Loop of the Nurburgring, the new entry-level model makes a great debut. The second new model is another exceptional Porsche that sets new standards on the racetrack. The world premiere will take place during the Porsche press conference at the Palexpo Arena in Geneva at 11:30 (CET) on March 3, 2015. A live webcast will be available in German and English on: http://porsche.gomexlive.com/. This vehicle confirms the sports car manufacturer's commitment to high performance sports cars that manage to make a very special link between everyday driving and motorsports. These two premieres continue Porsche's tradition of presenting motorsport highlights at the spring car show on the shores of Lake Geneva. The 911 GT3, 918 Spyder and 919 Hybrid all celebrated their debuts in Geneva in recent years.