2008 Porsche Cayenne S on 2040-cars

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The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda

Porsche Cayman GT4 looks sexy, rapid in the nude

Porsche doesn't officially have a name for its more hardcore version of the Cayman, yet. The speculation is that the coupe is called the GT4 as a little brother to the 911 GT3. However, the German sports car maker apparently is not interested in keeping the model's looks much of a secret because these latest shots show it without a hint of camouflage to speak of. The GT4 reportedly takes the GT3's ethos of more power, less weight and stickier-than-glue handling and brings it all to the Cayman. As these photos show, there's a much lower air dam up front with a cooling vent at the tip of the hood. Larger wheels are another obvious addition and are likely shod with some very sticky rubber. At the back, there's a double spoiler combining a wing and a ducktail. The power and gearbox for the GT4 remains a mystery, though. The rumor is that it uses a tuned version of the 3.4-liter flat-six in the Cayman S and GTS to make between 370 and 400 horsepower. A similar overhaul of the Boxster might be on the way, as well. A version of the convertible wearing some of the Cayman GT4's goodies was recently spotted testing. That one even had a manual transmission to make the prospects behind the wheel even more exciting.

Porsche tells 2014 911 GT3 owners to park their cars pending inspection

Porsche may have have a serious problem on its hands. After a rumored five 2014 911 GT3 coupes caught fire in recent weeks, Porsche launched an investigation and stopped delivering its road-ready racecar until it could diagnose the problem. Now, it has issued a press release asking all 2014 911 GT3 owners to immediately stop driving their cars until they can be inspected. Porsche is offering to pick up the cars from owners' homes and take them to the nearest dealer.
Porsche confirms that the at least two 911 GT3 coupes them have caught fire in Europe, and it has elected to inspect all 785 2014 GT3s worldwide. However, it claims no drivers have been injured in the fires. Unfortunately, Porsche says, "Internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet," so owners might have a bit of a wait before they are able to drive Porsche's ultimate 911 again. Scroll down to read the entire press release.