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Porsche kicks off Macan production at revamped Leipzig plant

After over two years of construction and roughly 500 million euros ($684 million at current rates) invested, Porsche finally opened its Leipzig, Germany, factory expansion on February 11. The improvements to the plant are dedicated to building the Macan and include a new body shop, paint shop and assembly line that are advancing Porsche's goal to sell 50,000 Macan's per year. The company believes that the new model is going to push it to over 200,000 annual sales 3 years ahead of schedule, and the enlarged branch can support even more Macan production, if there is demand.
"We are totally convinced in the qualities of this location and that the Macan will be a marketing success," said Porsche Chairman Matthias Müller during the opening celebration. The company opened its Leipzig factory in 2002 to build the Cayenne and added Panamera production in 2009.
The Macan models are due to launch in the US this summer with prices starting at $49,900. Scroll down to learn all of the details about the Macan's Leipzig assembly plant.

Force India F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg will drive a Porsche at Le Mans

Sahara Force India Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg is officially part of the Porsche factory team for next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans; the last time a current F1 driver got permission from his team to compete in the world's biggest endurance race was in 2009 when Toro Rosso let Sebastien Bourdais pilot for Peugeot. That will make it an even busier May and June for Hulkenberg, who will get to know the 919 Hybrid in race trim by driving the 6 Hours of Spa on May 2. He'll follow that with two F1 races in May, then do the Le Mans practice day on May 31, race for Force India at the Canadian Grand Prix on June 7, be in action for Porsche at Le Mans the next weekend, then back in a Force India the following weekend in Austria. Hulkenberg is the first driver to be named for Porsche's third LMP1 in next year's race, and we already know that former F1 colleague Mark Webber will be in one of the other cars. The other two drivers joining the German haven't been named yet, but speculation is that Porsche GT drivers in the manufacturer team are on the shortlist. Numerous observers also think it could be a suitable job for a certain Englishman who might have competed in his last race for McLaren...

'Faster. Farther.' dives into the history of Porsche racing tech

No doubt, Porsche has produced some of the best endurance racecars around, such as the turbocharged, slant-nose 935 of the 1970s and the ground-effects-enhanced 956 and 962 of the 1980s. But the company's most famous racecar, its first overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was the 917.
The 917 embodied many of Porsche's technological achievements up to that point, such as the company's first 12- and 16-cylinder engines (the flat-16 was never used in competition), fiberglass bodies that implemented early aerodynamic practices and the use of new, exotic materials, such as magnesium and titanium.
The racecar was commissioned by the head of Porsche Motorsports, Ferdinand Piëch, to win overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, after he realized a loophole in the rules that allowed cars to compete with engines up to five liters in the Sport category if they were also production models. Piëch saw opportunity: the top prototype class was restricted to three liters; the production minimum to compete in Sport was 25 cars. And so, with much effort, Porsche assembled 25 "production" 4.5-liter 917s and had them parked in a neat line for the race inspectors to verify their legitimacy. It didn't take long before people realized the new Porsches were much faster than the prototype racers, with a top speed approaching 250 miles per hour.