Porsche 944 82 Euro Spec on 2040-cars

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Porsche offering short-term loans to Macan waitlisters

Walk into a Porsche dealer today, place an order for a Macan and you'll be looking at a waiting period of six months or more before you can expect delivery. That may be common enough for high-end European automakers, but the Macan is meant to lure new buyers to the brand, and the waitlist could be enough to deter them from sticking around.
The solution? Offer to lease them a Boxster or Cayman until their new Macan arrives. Shorter in term that the usual new-car lease, these six-month terms are designed to keep buyers from turning their backs, all the while experiencing the kind of vehicle Porsche does best.
Of course it doesn't hurt that the dealer then gets a used sports car to sell again once the short-term lease is up. And we wouldn't be surprised to see some buyers asking to hold on to their mid-engined sports car for a little longer, either.

Automakers not currently promoting EVs are probably doomed

Okay, let's be honest. The sky isn't falling – gas prices are. In fact, some experts say that prices at the pump will remain depressed for the next decade. Consumers have flocked to SUVs and CUVs, reversing the upward trend in US fuel economy seen over the last several years. A sudden push into electric vehicles seems ridiculous when gas guzzlers are selling so well. Make hay while the sun shines, right? A quick glance at some facts and figures provides evidence that the automakers currently doubling down on internal combustion probably have some rocky years ahead of them. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is a prime example of a volume manufacturer devoted to incremental gains for existing powertrains. Though FCA will kill off some of its more fuel-efficient models, part of its business plan involves replacing four- and five-speed transmissions with eight- and nine-speed units, yielding a fuel efficiency boost in the vicinity of ten percent over the next few years. Recent developments by battery startups have led some to suggest that efficiency and capacity could increase by over 100 percent in the same time. Research and development budgets paint a grim picture for old guard companies like Fiat Chrysler: In 2014, FCA spent about $1,026 per car sold on R&D, compared with about $24,783 per car sold for Tesla. To be fair, FCA can't be expected to match Tesla's efforts when its entry-level cars list for little more than half that much. But even more so than R&D, the area in which newcomers like Tesla have the industry licked is infrastructure. We often forget that our vehicles are mostly useless metal boxes without access to the network of fueling stations that keep them rolling. While EVs can always be plugged in at home, their proliferation depends on a similar network of charging stations that can allow for prolonged travel. Tesla already has 597 of its 480-volt Superchargers installed worldwide, and that figure will continue to rise. Porsche has also proposed a new 800-volt "Turbo Charging Station" to support the production version of its Mission E concept, and perhaps other VW Auto Group vehicles. As EVs grow in popularity, investment in these proprietary networks will pay off — who would buy a Chevy if the gas stations served only Ford owners? If anyone missed the importance of infrastructure, it's Toyota.

Wingsuits are somehow involved in new season of 'Top Gear'

It's a shame that Matt LeBlanc is leaving "Top Gear," but there's a bit of solace in the situation: There's still one more season of him as frontman. BBC just released the new trailer for series 26, and it shows LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid getting into all sorts of shenanigans around the globe. "Top Gear" announced LeBlanc's imminent departure back in May 2018, but he still had to finish one more season before leaving. Thus, the upcoming series will be his last, and it looks like he'll go out in a whirlwind of dust, bent metal, water spray and burnt rubber. The trailer shows everything expected from a season of the storied automotive show (well, everything except Hammond, May, and Clarkson, if you're one of those people). There will be precision driving, dubious stunts, name-calling and gobs of stunning videography. In the short one-minute clip, there are flashes of numerous attention-piquing vehicles. The new Bentley Continental GT, a Bentley Le Mans racer, Porsches, Ferraris, the Aston Martin Vantage, and the Mercedes-AMG GT all make appearances. And for some random fun, the boys are seen in wingsuits (doubtful it's actually them), and playing polo in some three-wheel rickshaws (before wrecking said rickshaws). We'll update with more information as soon as we know when the show will start. Related Video: News Source: BBC Celebrities TV/Movies Aston Martin Bentley Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Porsche Videos Top Gear chris harris matt leblanc rory reid