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Former Porsche CEO Wiedeking indicted over VW takeover bid

Do you recall the failed efforts by Porsche to take over Volkswagen? According to a Bloomberg report, former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking (above) and ex-CFO Holger Haerter have finally been charged with market manipulation over the exercising of options as part of the German sportscar manufacturer's ill-fated attempt to take over the much larger VW. That failed bid eventually resulted in the reverse coming true - VW swallowing Porsche.
The charges leveled by Stuttgart prosecutors come after a three-year investigation centered around allegations that Porsche execs made a concerted effort to increase the company's share in VW to 75 percent in preparation for a hostile takeover. Porsche had previously told its investors on at least five occasions that it had no intention to buy VW.
Portions of the investigation have subsided, according to prosecutors, citing an inability to prove certain improprieties with a "necessary degree of certainty." The number of charges is down to 5 from a previous 14 counts regarding "information-based market manipulation."

Porsche continues facelift spree with 911 Turbo

If there's ever been automotive case for constant evolution, it is the Porsche 911. It seems like every time a new version of the rear-engined sports car debuts, Porsche is already hard at work on a facelifted version of it that changes some subtle, barely noticeable aspect.
Such is the case with this round of images of a facelifted 911 Turbo, which was seen undergoing winter testing alongside the facelifted, hardtop-version of the 911 Cabriolet we showed you yesterday. The new, 991-based 911 Turbo was just unveiled in May of 2013.
Like the Cabrio from yesterday, both the Turbo and naturally aspirated models shown here feature additional slats at the rear of the car, right behind the rear wheels. These slats on the standard model lend credence to what we learned yesterday - that even the regular 911 models could end up getting turbocharged mills.

Porsche 918 Spyder burns to ground in gas station conflagration

There's one fewer Porsche 918 Spyder zipping along the roads of Toronto, Canada, today. A fire at a gas station over the weekend claimed one of the hybrid supercars in a massive blaze, and a portion of the inferno was caught on video.
According to our partners to the North at Autoblog Canada, the cause of the fire hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but witnesses reportedly claimed gasoline somehow came into contact with the hot exhaust outlets that exit out of the top of the supercar's engine bay. This was just one of two 918s believed to be in the Toronto area.
Other than a possible broken heart from the owner, the fire reportedly caused no injuries, and only the Porsche and gas pump appeared to sustain serious damage. Warning, the video of the conflagration does contain some explicit language.