1983 Porsche 944 Base Coupe 2-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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VW CEO lost his job over buggy software that delayed new models

It says a lot about the state of the auto industry and where it's going that software problems have cost the CEO of a carmaker his job. Volkswagen ousted Herbert Diess as chief executive officer after severe software-development delays set back the scheduled launch of new Porsches, Audis and Bentleys. This was untenable considering buggy software postponed the debut of VW’s initial rollout of ID models, and customers are still having to drop off their cars at the dealer for updates the company has struggled to make over the air. Sure, Diess also didnÂ’t do enough to make allies and became increasingly isolated due to his hard-nosed leadership style. In his push to transform the company into an electric-vehicle leader, he repeatedly clashed with labor leaders by warning VW was losing out to Tesla and needed to cut thousands of jobs. But failures at the carmakerÂ’s software unit Cariad ultimately eroded DiessÂ’s support from the powerful Porsche and Piech family that calls the shots. Back in December, VW overhauled its management board, stripping Diess of some responsibilities while tasking him to turn around Cariad. While thereÂ’s been a lot of re-arranging since then, Diess didnÂ’t manage to make the issues go away. Discord at Cariad has pushed back the rollout of important new models including the electric Porsche Macan, a high-volume sport utility vehicle for the division thatÂ’s planning an initial public offering in the fourth quarter. AudiÂ’s new line of Artemis EVs has been delayed by around two years to 2027. And VWÂ’s ultra-luxury brand Bentley may not be able to go all-electric by the end of this decade as planned because of the software issues, Automobilwoche reported earlier this month. “Taking over the ship at Cariad seems to have been DiessÂ’s downfall,” said Matthias Schmidt, an independent auto analyst based in Berlin. VWÂ’s solutions to challenges tend to reflect its status as an industrial behemoth: itÂ’s able to throw lots of money and people at its problems. But modernizing the company for the digital age is going to take bringing in talent and building skillsets outside its traditional zones of expertise. Drivers increasingly demand intuitive user interfaces and services that could create new revenue streams, if done correctly. “Software is the key to the future,” TeslaÂ’s Elon Musk tweeted when one of his followers asked about VW switching CEOs. Diess certainly didnÂ’t lack ambition.

Porsche CEO outlines Cayenne diesel US repair proposal

Porsche has announced a plan to fix the emissions issue on the Cayenne with the 3.0-liter diesel V6, and it includes a software update and the replacement of the catalytic converter on some early examples, according to Reuters. The company believes these repairs are enough to make the SUVs emissions compliant, but the automaker's proposal still needs approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board before it can implement a recall. This authorization could come by the end of January. Note that the proposed 3.0-liter TDI plan is separate from the 2.0-liter TDI fix that was rejected by CARB on Tuesday. There are around 13,000 Cayennes on the road that the company needs to repair. Models from 2013 and 2014 would require a new catalytic converter and a software update, but those from 2015 and 2016 would just need the new software. "The technical aspects have all been submitted, we will wait whether there will still be proposals for corrections by the Americans," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said to Reuters. He wasn't sure how long the repair process would take, but suggested less than half of the affected examples would require the upgraded exhaust hardware. Blume indicated to Reuters that Audi actually created this repair plan. The EPA first issued a violation notice against the 3.0 TDI in early November and later broadened it to around 85,000 vehicles from the 2009-2016 model years, including diesel examples of the Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, and Q7. Audi later admitted the engine contained previously undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices. CARB gave the automaker 45 days to come up with a recall proposal to fix the 15,000 affected models in the state. Related Video:

This Porsche 356 family keeps it outlaw

Rod Emory was the founder of Emory Motorsports in Burbank, CA, and the scion to a family tradition of building "outlaw" Porsches that are almost as cool as the cars themselves. The lovingly modified Porsche 356s are lovely artifacts, and their story, along with the story of their builders, is pitch-perfect for the Petrolicious oeuvre of beloved classics.
Tune in for the history lesson, and then stick around for the car candy.