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Porsche announces four flavors of updated Cayenne [w/video]

The new Macan may be getting all the attention lately, but Porsche hasn't forgotten about its larger crossover – the one that put it on the map in 2002 and on the road to profitability, with over half a million sold so far. So to keep the Cayenne at the top of its game, Porsche has announced several key upgrades for the 2015 model. For starters, Porsche has updated the Cayenne's appearance with new front- and rear-end styling. The front bumper, fenders and hood are entirely new, with air fins flanking the nose to direct air into the intercoolers (each model now being artificially aspirated), and new bi-xenon headlamps and daytime running LEDs on every model but the Turbo, which goes all-LED. Around back there's also new taillights, tailgate handle, lower rear fascia and exhaust pipes. Meanwhile the interior has been upgraded with a 918-derived sport steering wheel and reformed rear seats with available ventilation. The bigger news is under the engine bay, where Porsche is offering four choices. The base model is gone as the range starts with the Cayenne Diesel, followed by the Cayenne S, the new Cayenne S E-Hybrid and the top-of-the-line Cayenne Turbo. The Diesel model carries over the same 3.0-liter turbo diesel with 240 horsepower. The Cayenne S however packs a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 that's similar to the one found in the Macan Turbo and packs the same 406 lb-ft of torque but more power at 420 hp, 20 more than either its little brother or the model it replaces to reach 62 mph in 5.2 seconds. The new Cayenne S E-Hybrid makes Porsche the world's only car manufacturer to offer three plug-in hybrid models. Porsche has also ported over the powertrain from the Panamera S E-Hybrid to make what Porsche refers to as "the first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment" and, along with the 918 Spyder, make it (almost unbelievably) "the world's only car manufacturer to offer three plug-in hybrid models" (unless, of course, you count the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera as separate from the Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR). The system mates a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 333 hp to an electric motor with 95 hp to give it a combined output of 416 hp (more than the diesel and almost as much as the S) to propel it to 62 in 5.4 seconds, hit an all-electric top speed of 78 mph and an all-out top speed of 151 mph – offering a substantial improvement over the previous Cayenne S Hybrid.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS looks wicked, this way comes

Those who didn't think Porsche went extreme enough with the latest 911 GT3 likely won't be disappointed when the more focused GT3 RS arrives. And as you can see from these latest spy shots, it looks like it's speeding right around the corner. Tipped to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS is shaping up to be an enthusiast's dream - and with the prospect of a GT2 in doubt, could be the most hardcore Elfen in the range. Instead of the 3.8-liter flat-six in the current GT3, the new RS will pick up where the previous limited-edition GT3 RS 4.0 left off, with four naturally aspirated liters of unadulterated boxer power channeling a good 520 horses to the rear wheels. That will be a significant increase over the existing 475-hp GT3 and will match the 911 Turbo for output (if not the 560-hp Turbo S) and without any turbo lag to slow down the action, either. Whether it will keep the GT3's dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel steering system, or ditch one or both for a more analog approach, remains to be seen, but we're holding out hope. Either way, the modifications to the bodywork ought to make the GT3 RS stand out even further and stay glued to the race track it will call home. Notice the deep front splitter scooping up snowflakes like a shovel, a massive rear wing (which may or may not be the final production version), the Turbo-spec rear end with air intakes ahead of the rear wheels, and a set of awesome-looking gills over the front wheels – all of which you can scope out in the gallery full of spy shots above.

Parents of terminally ill child sue after son dies following make-a-wish-style ride

Some stories are so sad and depressing, they make you want to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head. This is one such story. 14-year-old Raphael Wittman was suffering from an unspecified form of terminal cancer when he was invited by the children's cancer charity Kinder Krebs Hilfe to a charity drive organized by Porsche Forum Austria. During the drive, the Porsche Boxster Wittman was riding in was involved in a head-on collision. Both of his legs were broken and he bit off his tongue in the wreck. He died seven weeks later, in a Vienna hospital. Now, his father is suing the charity, claiming that the accident robbed his son of the will to live.
"The accident set off a chain of events starting with the doctors putting him on new medication for the cancer he had. He was always a fighter, but suddenly he was saying that he was not going to fight any more," Franz Wittman told Austria's Kurier, according to The Guardian. "We would have had a wonderful last time together [on vacation] but it never happened because of the accident."
Father and son were originally planning to go to Tenerife to spend time together, although those plans were cancelled following the accident.