2008 Porsche 997 Coupe Guards Red Black Leather Aero Kit Manual 10,200 Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Car companies may need to start curbing model proliferation

Looking at the current automotive landscape, especially from German makers, you quickly get the impression that less definitely isn't more. BMW alone offers its 3 Series platform in practically every segment possible, including the regular sedan and 4 Series Gran Coupe, which would seem to be direct competitors. Porsche might be the winner, though, with 20 different variants of the 911 listed for sale on its US website. However, some of this model madness might be reaching an end as companies begin cutting back spending or shifting money to other priorities.
According to Yahoo Finance, the offerings from the German automakers are up 25 percent over the past three years to over 200 models in Europe. The peak is expected to come around 2018 at 230 separate vehicles, according to consulting company PwC.
Amazingly, BMW, which is among the poster children for this model explosion, might be changing its tune. "I'm sure there will be points in the future where we look at certain cars and say, 'Maybe we need to think differently now,'" said head of sales Ian Robertson in an interview, according to Yahoo Finance. The statement certainly sounds shocking coming from a company rumored to have 23 front-wheel-drive vehicles all using a single platform on the way.

Pininfarina teases its Tesla- and Bugatti-baiting EV supercar

Pininfarina isn't being bashful when it comes to getting into the car business. The Italian design house has revealed a sketch of the PF0 Concept, an electric supercar aimed directly at the world's fastest and most expensive vehicles. With upward of 1,000 horsepower, along with an expected price in the millions of dollars, this extreme EV is meant as a calling card for Pininfarina's upcoming range of electric cars and SUVs. So should the likes of Tesla, Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti and Lamborghini be worried? Pininfarina might be new to building its own cars, but the company has many decades of experience designing and engineering some of the most desirable cars of all time — including many of the finest supercars to have worn a Ferrari badge on their nose. As we reported earlier this year, Pininfarina has teamed with Indian auto manufacturer, Mahindra, to develop a range of high-end EVs. With this roughly $500 million investment, not to mention some engineering help from Croatian supercar manufacturer, Rimac, Pininfarina aims to start high. The company will first introduce a hypercar, based on the PF0 Concept, within two years, then bring along a range of more affordable electric cars and SUVs. These will more directly take on the likes of Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, and Tesla Model X. So yes, if you're in the business of building expensive cars, especially ones with a lot of batteries positioned inside them, Pininfarina's plans for the PF0 (that's a zero, not the letter "O," by the way) should make you sit up and take notice. "Automobili Pininfarina is a pioneering new business created to service the most discerning clients in the world," said Michael Perschke, CEO for Automobili Pininfarina. "Our product portfolio will launch with an innovative, zero-emissions hypercar that represents the progression we aim to make at the pinnacle of the luxury and sports car market." According to its press release, Pininfarina is currently presenting its "business and product plans to prospective retailer partners, clients and media in New York this week." After its tour of the Big Apple, look for Pininfarina to officially reveal the PF0 Concept during Monterey Car Week in August. Related Video: Design/Style Green Bugatti Lamborghini Porsche Tesla Electric Future Vehicles Luxury Performance Pebble Beach supercar mahindra hypercar Rimac

$76,400 Porsche S E-Hybrid will debut in Paris

The 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E Hybrid will be an all-new model, one that adds a plug – and the required associated technological bits – to the currently available Cayenne S Hybrid. The most important of those bits is a 10.8-kWh lithium-ion battery, but Porsche's Calvin Kim told AutoblogGreen that the SUV's electric-only range is still pending certification, but Hybrid Cars says that Porsche is estimating it'll be somewhere between 11 and 22 miles, "depending on the style of driving and route topography." Other than the new battery, the electric motor has been upgraded to a 95 horsepower/70 kW unit (up from the 47-hp/34 kW motor in the Cayenne hybrid without a plug). The overall powertrain now puts out a total of 416 hp and can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds. Alongside the electric parts, there's a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission. You can find all of the E-Hybrid's available specs here and stay tuned for more information on the new plug-in SUV when it makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The SUV will go on sale in the US on November 1, 2014 with a starting MSRP of $76,400, plus a destination charge of $995. In a new press release (available below), Porsche is also proudly saying, once again, that it will be the world's only automaker offering three plug-in hybrid models, once the Cayenne S E-Hybrid hits the market. The others are the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder. How long will this reign at the top last? World premiere of the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid in Paris Leading the industry: Porsche offers three plug-in hybrid models Stuttgart/Atlanta. The new Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid celebrates its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. It is the world's first luxury SUV to offer a plug-in hybrid drive, setting new standards in its segment. The Cayenne S E-Hybrid also makes Porsche the leading manufacturer of plug-in hybrid vehicles: Complementing the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder, Porsche is the only manufacturer worldwide to offer three plug-in hybrids. In addition to the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, Porsche is presenting the other models that comprise the new generation of Cayenne including the Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and Cayenne Diesel. Increased efficiency and performance, even more precise handling, a sharper design and a broadened array of standard equipment are its defining features.