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News 12 Oct, 2012

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S gets 550bhp and costs more than £100,000

Pictures 12 Oct, 2012

Porsche SE, the holding company and former owner of German carmaker Porsche, has received a fresh lawsuit linked to its 2008 attempt to take over Volkswagen Group in the form of a 213 million euro ($275 million) claim from the family of a deceased...

Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors received a $10 million grant from the U.S. state of California to buy assembly equipment and add 500 workers to build a rechargeable SUV in the state.

Shares in Toyota supplier Tokai Rika fell nearly 10 percent in Japan following disclosures that it made parts involved in the automaker's global recall this week of 7.43 million vehicles for defective power-window switches.

Ford's board discussed a succession plan for CEO Alan Mulally at its monthly meeting on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Aabar sold its remaining 3.07 percent stake in Daimler AG worth about 1.25 billion euros ($1.6 billion) on Oct. 5, the German carmaker said in a regulatory filing today.

Aabar Investments sold its remaining voting stake in Daimler AG two weeks after the world's third-biggest luxury-car manufacturer predicted the European auto-market contraction will hurt profit at its main brand.

The beleaguered Tokyo auto show, beset by fading importance and falling attendance, has taken a beating in recent years from bigger, brighter shows in China and beyond.

There are few things like hands-on experience. We've all been to school to learn countless things, but nothing (in my opinion) equates to getting down and dirty and doing something yourself.

Like you, I'm learning more and more every day about hybrid and electric vehicles -- what makes them tick, and how they work. I've read a bunch on ‘em, I've been to a few launches, and have driven many of them over the last few years. Our recent EV comparo test shed much light on many of the ins-and-outs of living with an electric car.

I've spent time in a Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion, Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan LEAF, and many others. And in some of the cases, I experienced firsthand what range anxiety is all about.

For the comparo, we induced range anxiety by driving the cars “hard” through a planned route, with charging stations along the way, to see how well things would unfold. It went very, very well.

As charging stations are only beginning to sprout up here and there, I actually made phone calls to insure they were operational at several locations. For every call, the people I spoke to were very helpful, courteous and actually excited about our test.

Photo: Michel Deslauriers

With a few confirmations, I planned out a route. Once at a mall for some shopping (part of the day's intended activities), I was required to call up the company that manages the charging stations in order to have them activated. The person on the other end was thrilled and even sent me a follow-up email with charging time/energy details. Great stuff.

One of the most fascinating tidbits from the email was the amperage at which the cars recharged. Although the stations all provided an equal 240V of power, the amperage pulled by the cars varied, which largely influenced charging times. In this instance, the Focus EV pulled 28 amps of electrical current, while the Volt and LEAF drew 14. The Focus was “full” after only 37 minutes, the other two used the 95 minutes they were plugged in and still weren't 100% charged.

As well, the Focus gulped only 3.811 kWh while the Volt and LEAF took in 5.37 and 5.444 respectively. Oddly, all three cars travelled exactly the same distance, on the same routes, at the same time. Is the Focus more efficient?

This necessitates further investigation as it is clear that, much like internal combustion engines, comparable or similar does not equal identical.

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone agreed to reduce the race fee as he extended Korea's grand prix contract through 2016, the AFP news agency reports.

F1's annual trip since 2010 to Mokpo is among the most controversial and least popular on the calendar, but promoter Park Won-Hwa said on Friday a new contract has been signed.

"We had to renegotiate with Mr Ecclestone and brought a few ideas and persuaded him that Korea cannot continue the event with such a big financial loss," he said.

"It took a long time, and in the end Mr Ecclestone agreed to make another contract," Park added.

The Times correspondent Kevin Eason said this week he cannot understand why F1 chief executive Ecclestone wants the poorly attended and questionably organised event to survive.

Park explained: "Mr Ecclestone thinks that it is important to have F1 in Korea as the country is a fast-growing country and benefits from a booming economy and fast-growing economy.

"It would be a huge strategic mistake to withdraw from this part of the world."

Start of the 2011 Korean Grand Prix. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

Still, F1's travellers dislike the remote location of the event and the so-called 'love motels' - usually occupied by prostitutes and their clients - they have to stay in.

"Seoul is a centre of activity," said Park.

"But Korea needed to highlight this rural and industrial area. We live in peace here with clean air, no pollution and a good environment.

"But we are trying to boost the area and build its image at the same time. This is the idea of the government behind the race."

GPS manufacturer TomTom released its North American Congestion Index for the second quarter of 2012. While Ottawa has dropped out of the top 10 since the previous rankings, Montreal (from 12th to 4th) and Toronto (from 9th to 5th) have both entered the top 5.

Vancouver, of course, remains the most congested city in Canada, and trails only Los Angeles in North America.

1. Los Angeles 34%
2. Vancouver 33%
3. San Francisco 29%
4. Montreal 28%
5. Toronto 27%
6. Washington 26%
7. Seattle 26%
8. New York 25%
9. Chicago 23%
10. Miami 22%

Porsche Cars Canada today announced that the new top-of-the-line Porsche Cayenne Turbo S will arrive at dealerships in February 2013. Expect to find all the Cayenne staples such as versatile off-road capabilities, superior ride comfort, and impressive towing ability.

The 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S produces an extra 50 horsepower over the regular Turbo model, for a total of 550. Torque is up from 516 to 553 lb-ft. This translates into 0-100km/h accelerations in just 4.5 seconds (-0.2 seconds), and a top speed of 283 km/h (+5 km/h).

Amazingly, its fuel consumption is expected to match the Turbo model's, which is 14.3L/100km in the city and 9.3L/100km on the highway.

Porsche designers have created unique two-tone leather packages specifically for the new 2013 Cayenne Turbo S, including black/Carrera red and black/Luxor beige, with decorative seams in matching contrasting colour.

Pricing for the 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S will start at $166,000.

French driver Charles Pic of the Marussia F1 Team will he dropped ten places on Sunday's starting grid of the Grand Prix of Korea.

Pic will therefore become the first driver of the 2012 Formula 1 season will receive a penalty for engine change. Drivers are allowed to use eight engines over the course of a full season.

The Cosworth engine in Pic's MR-01 had to be changed after Friday's free practice sessions.

“We plan to fit a new engine to Charles' car this evening in the knowledge that, as his ninth engine of the season, we will incur a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday,” Marussia team principal John Booth said on Friday.

Charles Pic aboard the MR01 Marussia. (Photo: Marussia F1 Team)

This past summer, one of our favorite activities was gathering a selection of a few of the coolest and most fun cars available on the road today for a comparison test.

On track day, our multimedia team set up a few cameras around the track to capture a number of shots which we've compiled in this video.

The video encompasses track driving footage, a few launches, some hard braking, as well a number of beauty shots. The whole of it comes together with a few stats and some cool lounge music.

Sit back, enjoy, and make sure you check out all of our material below from this amazing gathering of cars.

Sport Compact Comparo 2.0 Road Test

Photo: Sebastien D'Amour

Sport Compact Comparo 2.0 Track Test

Photo: Sebastien D'Amour

2013 Subaru BRZ vs 2013 Scion FR-S

Photo: Sebastien D'Amour

The Overall Winner of the Sport Compact Comparo 2.0: 2013 Subaru BRZ

Photo: Sebastien D'Amour

AIKEN, SC. - My recent trip to Bridgestone's PSR and ORR plants in the South were far more educational than I could have ever expected. In fact, had I known I was going to learn as much, I would have stayed home and watched the tube...

That's not true. Enquiring minds such as yours and mine are always looking for the next nugget of new information. If you're in the mood, I've got one for you: LEED.

LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a points rating system that allocates said points to a company/developer's existing or new building based on specific criteria established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998. As an FYI, the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) adhered to the same criteria and rating system in 2003.

The LEED “green” building rating system uses 110 points which fall into specific topics. Each topic has equally specific goals. Of them, we find Sustainable Site Development, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Energy Efficiency.

Not all of these topics apply to all buildings. The building designers, developers or owners can choose which match their establishments best in order to garner a rating. They work as follows:

40 to 49 points: Certified
50 to 59 points: Silver
60 to 79 points: Gold
80 or more points: Platinum

In 2009, Bridgestone was the first tire company in the world to achieve Silver LEED certification for two of its North American operations, one of them being the PSR plant in Aiken, SC, the other in Warren, Tenn. The new ORR plant literally across the street from the PSR is expected to also achieve LEED certification through recycling waste, a habitat management plan and using regional materials.

Bridgestone's Americas Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, is also Silver LEED Certified. And here's a small surprise: One of Firestone's Complete Auto Care centers, the one in Smyrna, Tenn., is Gold LEED Certified. That's impressive.

What's really impressive is Bridgestone's drive towards a better future for all.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

The High Court of Hyderabad issued on Friday a non-bailable warrant against Kingfisher Airlines and its Chairman Vijay Mallya in a case of cheques bouncing filed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL).

The news was published by several business papers and web sites Friday morning.

The court issued the warrant against Kingfisher airlines in a case filed by GHIAL, which manages the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

Kingfisher had issued cheques to GHIAL towards airport user charges which include parking, landing and navigation charges. However, all the cheques (totalling $1.9 millions) bounced and GMR filed a case against Kingfisher and Mallya.

The warrant was issued after Mallaya failed to appear despite summons issued to him.

The part-owner of the Sahara Force India Formula 1 team reportedly sought exemption from personal appearance as he was abroad. The billionnaire is currently in Korea to attend the F1 Grand Prix.

Kingfisher Airlines, which is in a state of virtual lockout till October 20, is facing massive financial crisis and has even failed to pay salary to its employees for the last several months.

The second and final free practice session of the 6 Hours of Fuji - Round of the FIA World Endurance Championship - was held Friday in Japan.

While Toyota set the best time in the initial practice session, but Audi turned things around in the second one.

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer set the fastest time, just 4/1000ths of a second ahead of the Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima.

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro with the Mount Fuji in the background. (Photo: FIA WEC)

Private team Strakka Racing, third in Bahrain, again set a great performance with Danny Watts claiming fourth place in the Honda-powered prototype, just behind the second Audi of Kristensen/McNish.

The OAK/Pescarolo, fitted with a Honda V8 engine for the first time, was 8th overall and less than one second slower than the fastest private LPM1 machine.

Potolicchio/Dalziel/Sarrazin were the fastest in the LMP2 category, driving the Starworks HPD.

Finally, teams Felbermayr-Proton (Porsche) and Larbre Compétition (Corvette) were the quickest in the GTE Pro and GTE Am categories respectively.

MINI will terminate its works involvement in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) at the end of the 2012 season.

With its works team, Team MINI Portugal, MINI will have competed in every rounds of the 2012 WRC championship, which was a prerequisite for getting the homologation of the FIA for the MINI John Cooper Works. The car can now be run by private teams next seasons.

Team Prodrive was the former MINI works team in 2011 when the british brand made its WRC return. But Prodrive lost its status at the beginning of 2012, but has announced that it targets a full WRC programme with the John Cooper Works next season.

BMW Motorsport will continue to develop the 1.6-litre turbo engine and provide Prodrive with parts.

The project of a road course of Patras does not represents Greece's bid to stage a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the near future, says Athanassios P.Papatheodorou, architect and Project Manager of Dielpis Formula 1.

On October 1st, we posted a news which said “Greece has approved plans to build a multi-million Formula 1 racing circuit, south of Patras in the Peloponnese”.

A few days ago, Mr. Papatheodorou kindly contacted us to explain that this new circuit was not per say a Formula 1 circuit designed and destined to stage a potential Grand Prix of Greece.

“The project of a circuit in Patras has nothing to do with claiming a Formula 1 race; it merely concerns a peripheral circuit,” Papatheodorou told Auto123.com.

“On the contrary, our proposal -- Dielpis Formula 1 - represents the project of staging an F1 race in the area of the Port of Piraeus. We are the project managers of this proposal, which is based on funds coming from the private sector that we are trying to collect. The public sector will not invest in this project,” the Greek architech added.

Illustration: Dielpis Formula 1

The Dielpis project has been officially submitted by the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece (ELPA) following a request filed by the Mayor with FIA and Bernie Ecclestone on November 23, 2011, said Papatheodorou.

“On May 26, 2012, Mr. Bernie Ecclestone in a meeting held with the head of DielpisFormula1, stated his, in principle, acceptance and agreement with the above proposal (DielpisFormula1) and mentioned that the following step is just to find the investor,” he then added.

In July the Minister of Culture sent to Mr. Ecclestone the Greek Government's official position with regard to the DielpisFormula1 candidacy. And in September, the Deputy Minister of Development issued a press release whereby the expressed his Ministry's support to the candidacy including the project in the fast track procedure.

“Therefore, there is no other candidacy for an F1 race in Greece save the one submitted by the Municipality of Drapetsona entitled DielpisFormula1, for which we continue our efforts unfailingly,” Papatheodorou concluded.