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Ferdinand Piech (1937-2019): The man who made VW global

Towering among his peers, a giant of the auto industry died Sunday night in Rosenheim/Upper Bavaria, Germany. Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who conceived the original Volkswagen in the 1930s, was the most polarizing automotive executive of our times. And one who brought automotive technology further than anyone else. Ferdinand Porsche had a son, Ferdinand (called "Ferry"), and a daughter, Louise, who married the Viennese lawyer Anton Piech. They gave birth to Ferdinand Piech, and his proximity to two Alfa Romeo sports cars — Porsche had done some work for the Italians — and the "Berlin-Rome-Berlin" race car, developed by Porsche himself, gave birth to Piech's interest in cars. After his teachers in Salzburg told his mother he was "too stupid" to attend school there, Piech, who was open about his dyslexia, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. He subsequently moved on to Porsche, where he fixed issues with the 904 race car and did major work on the 911. But his greatest project was the Le Mans-winning 917 race car, developed at breathtaking financial cost. It annihilated the competition, but the family had had enough: Amid growing tension among the four cousins working at Porsche and Piech's uncle Ferry, the family decided to pull every family member, except for Ferry, out of their management positions. Piech started his own consultancy business, where he designed the famous five-cylinder diesel for Mercedes-Benz, but quickly moved on to Audi, first as an engineer and then as CEO, where he set out to transform the dull brand into a technology leader. Piech killed the Wankel engine and hammered out a number of ambitious and sophisticated technologies. Among them: The five-cylinder gasoline engine; Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's fantastic rally successes; and turbocharging, developed with Fritz Indra, whom Piech recruited from Alpina. The Audi 100/200/5000 became the world's fastest production sedan, thanks to their superior aerodynamics. Piech also launched zinc-coated bodies for longevity — and gave diesel technology a decisive boost with the advent of the fast and ultra-efficient TDI engines. Less known: Piech also decided to put larger gas tanks into cars. Customers loved it. Piech's first-generation Audi V8 was met with derision by competitors; it was too obviously based on the 200/5000.

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.

Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche 911 hybrid possible, Ecocruise EVs coming soon

The next-generation Porsche 911 could use hybrid power, according to Porsche CEO Matthias Muller. "There is no reason against it and we will see if we have some reasons to do it," Muller says of the model due around 2018. He also suggests that hybrid technology could eventually make its way into all Porsche model lines, but that the Boxster and Cayman would first get four-cylinder versions. Muller cites carbon emissions and "sportiness" as reasons to use hybrid power, pointing to the 918 Spyder as a good example of both. Read more at Car Advice. A B-Class F-Cell from the Mercedes-Benz fleet has hit a benchmark of 300,000 kilometers (about 186,411 miles) in everyday use. The achievement won Daimler an "f-cell award" for hydrogen fuel cell technology and innovation. The 300+ fuel cell cars in the Daimler fleet have driven a collective 9 million-plus kilometers (more than 5.5 million miles). The information gathered from this testing is being used to improve development as the company looks toward expanding commercialization of fuel cell cars. "We have clearly demonstrated that the fuel cell electric drive is ready for the road," says Professor Herbert Kohler of Daimler. "The last hurdles we will overcome in intensive cross-industry and cross-border teamwork." Read more in the press release below. A company called Ecocruise has new EVs coming out soon. Along with electric scooters and service vehicles, Ecocruise develops street-legal neighborhood electric vehicles like the three-wheeled EZip-3, the four-wheeled EZip-4, and the fun looking Cruser Sport (see a prototype in the video below). The EVs are scheduled to go on sale in January of 2015, which is right around the corner. Ecocruise was started after the founder of Kasea Motorsports decided to switch to electric vehicles with the goal of offering providing affordable emissions-free driving. Learn more about Ecocruise and its vehicles at the company's website. The new EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) does little to discourage dirty fuels like tar sands and coal-to-liquid, says Transport & Environment (T&E). The FQD requires suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas intensity for transport fuel in the EU by six percent by 2020. The much-delayed FQD doesn't do as much as it could, though, say critics, and it doesn't label dirtier fuel sources as such despite the urging of scientists. T&E, an organization focused on cleaning up EU transport, blames Canada, the US and Big Oil.