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Porsche working on turbo V12 for Putin limo project?

Porsche is best known for building very well-regarded sports cars and better-selling utility vehicles. Come to the company with a big enough bag of cash, though, and the Porsche Engineering division can create just about anything. The group's past projects include working with Harley-Davidson, Mercedes-Benz and corporate cousin Audi, but if rumors prove true, then its latest partner might be the last one you'd expect.
Russian website Wroom reports that Porsche Engineering is building the engine for the Project Cortege government limousine project for Russian president Vladimir Putin. The mill is supposedly a turbocharged V12 displacing between 6.0- and 6.6-liters and making around 800 horsepower. When complete, it will reportedly be built by ZMZ with Russian-sourced parts.
The limo is expected to debut in 2017, according to Wroom, but it's just the beginning of Putin's grandiose plans, which also goes by the name of the Motorcade Project. The same platform is also meant to underpin several vehicles for use by the government, including an SUV, a small bus and a sedan. All of them would reportedly have a longitudinally mounted engine and all-wheel drive.

Porsche Cayman GT4 storms Switzerland with 385 hp [w/video]

Much as we love the Porsche 911 in all its variants, there's definitely a case to be made for the smaller Cayman as the best-driving sports car in the company's lineup. We adore it in all forms, and most recently fell madly in love with the new Cayman GTS. But here at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche has unveiled a truly special, range-topping variant of its mid-engine coupe: the GT4. And after seeing it in person, we're pretty much head-over-heels in love. That's because the GT4 is the most hardcore variant of the Cayman yet, using a 385-horsepower version of Porsche's 3.8-liter flat-six, derived from the 911 Carrera S. It sends power to the rear wheels solely via a six-speed manual transmission with dynamic gearbox mounts, and we're told the hot new coupe will sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds – a full half-second quicker than the 340-hp Cayman GTS. Building upon that, the GT4 uses a host of chassis components from the potent 911 GT3, and offers further upgrades like ceramic brakes and carbon fiber bucket seats. This should make for one seriously track-worthy machine, and Porsche already says that the GT4 will run the Nurburgring in a scant 7:20 – the same time as the 2011 911 GT3. It's all very awesome, this GT4. To say we're stoked would be a gross understatement. Look for it to hit Porsche dealers in July, starting at $84,600. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A New Member of Porsche's GT Family The benchmark in its class: the Porsche Cayman GT4 Atlanta, Feb. 3, 2015 - Porsche's GT family is proud to announce the addition of an exciting new member: the Cayman GT4. This is the first Porsche GT sports car based on the Cayman and features components of the 911 GT3. Clocking a lap time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds on the North Loop of the Nurburgring, the Cayman GT4 earns the same lap time as the 2011 911 GT3 and positions itself as the new benchmark atop its market segment. The Cayman GT4 clearly demonstrates Porsche's dedication and passion to continue to promote truly industry-leading two-door sports cars in the future – sports cars that are developed at the Motorsport department in Weissach. The engine, chassis, brakes, and aerodynamic design of the Cayman GT4 are configured for maximum driving dynamics while retaining the versatility and everyday utility that are typical of the two-seater Porsche coupe.

Despite premium carmakers going downmarket, luxury auto sales stick at 10-11%

According to research conducted by global information company IHS Automotive, the leporine birthing of new models by luxury manufacturers over the past six years hasn't increased their market share in the US. Even as car sales reached 15.6 million units, IHS says what's happened instead is that luxury buyers are merely moving from one brand to another, moving from larger luxury vehicles into hot segments like compact luxury crossovers or leaving the market at the same rate as other buyers enter.
Whether broken out by makes or by segment, market share has rollercoastered inside a narrow band from 10.5 to 11.5 percent since "at least" 2008. Closer investigation reveals the shifting boundaries in the aspirational pond, with brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi gaining territory as Lexus and Lincoln lost it, and Saab and Hummer were buried, dead, under it. One neat note is that Tesla has gone from a share of zip to .12 percent.
The subcompact and compact crossover segments show growth, with those little high-riders jumping from .3 percent to 1.16 percent of overall industry sales. Their rise, though, is concomitant with the decline of four other segments: compact and midsize cars and fullsize cars and SUVs. We think the next few years that will tell if the small-car expansion can overcome the large-car retraction, with a phalanx of smaller offerings like the CLA only recently hitting the market and others like the GLA, Macan and Q1 doing so in the near future.