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Porsche updates 919 Hybrid LMP1 for 2015 assault [w/video]

Last season, Porsche returned to the top level of endurance racing with the 919 Hybrid, picking up a mantle that has seen the German marque win the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record sixteen times – more than any other manufacturer ever to compete at the legendary French race. Of course, Porsche didn't beat its sister company Audi right out of the box, but managed to win the last race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in Brazil before the season was done. This year it undoubtedly hopes to do even better, and this is the machine with which it will endeavor to take the top honors. Newly revised and optimized for the 2015 season, the new 919 Hybrid was just revealed on the eve of the first test session of the season at the Paul Ricard test track in the South of France. It may look largely the same as the model it succeeds, but benefits from numerous advancements made to help Porsche catch up with Audi and Toyota. For starters, Zuffenhausen has opted to step up to the eight-megajoule category, favoring the electric side of its hybrid powertrain over the internal combustion engine. So the compact 2.0-liter turbocharged V4 now drives in excess of 500 horsepower to the rear wheels, and the electric motor – powered by two energy recovery systems and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery – kicks in upwards of 400 hp to the front wheels. The rest of the package has been comprehensively updated as well, giving it a lower weight, improved rigidity, revised suspension and reshaped aerodynamic elements. Porsche will field two cars at most of the races this season, but will increase its team to three cars for certain races – one in black, one in white and one in red. Following the "prologue" test session at Paul Ricard this weekend, the season kicks off with the 6 Hours of Silverstone on April 12, when the new Porsche 919 Hybrid will take on the similarly revised Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and Toyota TS040 Hybrid for the first time in earnest. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP1 presentation 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid – proven base was extensively optimised Suttgart. At the Paul Ricard Circuit in France today, Porsche presented the second generation of its Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid race car as a technical evolution in a three-colour concept. Porsche also confirmed it will switch to the highest of the four energy categories in the LMP1 class.

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.

Porsche returns to Forza with Horizon 2 expansion [w/video]

The bar for driving and racing game excellence has been raised to remarkable levels in recent years, and with titles making use of Xbox One and Playstation 4 hardware. But, if you're a fan of major franchises like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, the most obvious-for-its-omission car brand has always been Porsche. Happily, that prohibition ends tomorrow, with an epic piece of DLC for Forza Horizon 2. That's right, Forza confirmed to Autoblog (after a series of rumors) that the $9.99 Porsche Expansion hits tomorrow. In fact, we even have an exclusive first look the full car list: 1970 Porsche 914/6 1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 1987 Porsche 959 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo 2003 Porsche Carrera GT 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997) 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Ten of Stuttgart's finest include historically significant monsters like the 959 and Carrera GT, as well as newcomers Cayman GTS and Macan Turbo. Along with the cars, the expansion pack brings 10 Bucket List events, 10 Rivals events, and 15 achievements in total (for you Forza completionists). We've already put in for a sick day. Porsche has been far more reticent than most OEMs to license its cars for video games, to date, and even this expansion required a deal with Electronic Arts to bring to pass. And, while our sources at Turn 10 Studios say that this Porsche pack will be the only such content for FH2, we can expect that the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 will be packed with 911s, et al. We couldn't get the studio to discuss specifics about future models (your author is hankering hard for some 356 action), but reps did say that they'll aim for balance, "never losing sight of the type of varied interests and experiences that our players love." Scroll down to read the full press release, or have a browse through our gallery of images and video. We'll see you on the road. Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion Porsche is coming to Forza Horizon 2! Arriving on June 9 exclusively in Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One, the Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion will bring ten amazing Porsche models for the first time to an Xbox One Forza game. With Porsche models like the 1989 944 Turbo, the 2003 Carrera GT, and the 2014 911 GT3 RS 4.0, the Porsche Expansion Pack will give fans the chance to explore southern Europe in some of the legendary German manufacturer's most beloved cars.