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Porsche Macan to debut at LA Auto Show

Auto Express reports Porsche will unveil the upcoming Macan SUV at this year's LA Auto Show. Citing an unnamed "insider," AE says that the five-door will bow with engines, suspension and interior architecture that will help differentiate it from its Audi Q5 chassis mate. Big shocker there. We've been hearing the same line since we first caught word of the Macan back when it was still rolling around under the Cajun name. The report does shed some light on the model's pricing, however. That same insider says the Porsche Macan will carry a price tag of 36,000 pounds.
What does that mean for American buyers? Do some quick math based on current conversion rates, and average UK and US prices, and we come up with a sticker of roughly $42,000 here in the land of the free. That fits in line with the rest of the company's stable, with the larger Cayenne starting at $49,600.
Still, we'll wait for more concrete word before jumping behind the AE report wholeheartedly. The 2013 LA Auto Show gets going in late November.

Techart modified Porsche 911 Turbo S packs 620 hp, 0-62 in 2.8 seconds

Considering how many absolutely ridiculous tuner cars are featured in Geneva (stay tuned to see plenty, as our coverage continues), it's often refreshing to see some of the more modestly modified cars, like this new Porsche 911 Turbo S from the folks at Techart. Visually, there's a subtle body kit, new wheels, a new spoiler, and some lame decals on the front end, but it basically ends there. That's because Techart's mission is really about higher performance. Increased dynamism, as the Germans say.
An ordinary 911 Turbo S produces 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. But the Techart kit adds 60 hp and 96 lb-ft to those already high numbers, for a coupe that dishes out a total of 620 hp and 612 lb-ft. Techart says that, in Sport Plus mode, its modified 911 Turbo S will accelerate to 62 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds, and the top speed has been increased to 204 miles per hour. Crazy stuff.
To further drive its performance upgrades home, Techart has fitted this 911 Turbo S with a sport exhaust system with valve control, for a more robust exit interview, at the push of a button. We imagine it sounds awesome. Have a look at the Techart Turbo S in the gallery, above.

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