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Listen to the Porsche Macan's exhaust note ahead of its LA debut

As if we need further proof that the Porsche Macan won't just be another small CUV, it'll be a small Porsche CUV, the German automaker has released a video of the vehicle's raucous exhaust note. In short, the Macan will sport a far racier soundtrack than most of its competitors.
The raspy sound coming from one of the Macan's two turbocharged V6 engines sounds great (the video isn't clear as to whether we're listening to the base 3.0-liter or the Turbo model's 3.6-liter engine), and it's accompanied by a nice crackle on overrun. It isn't like a 911 or other flat-six model, but it is more or less what we expect a Porsche to sound like. We'll have all the details on the newest member of the Porsche lineup when it debuts later this month at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Scroll down for an official press release from Porsche, as well as the video of the Macan, and be sure to turn your speakers up.

Porsche 911 GT spied streaking at the Nurburgring

At any given moment, you can bet that Porsche is testing some new version of the 911. When we see those prototypes undergoing testing, they're typically camouflaged, at least in part, to keep us from seeing what Zuffenhausen (or Weissach) is up to. But this particular example is completely undisguised. So what are we looking at, exactly? Well, for starters, it's likely the upcoming facelifted version of the current 911. The current 991 generation has been on the market now for four years, so the 991.2 (or 991.5, perhaps?) will likely be tasked with keeping Porsche's iconic sports car current for several more years to come. This version can be seen with front air intakes similar to those on the Cayman GT4, along with updated headlights, LED strips, new door handles, ventilated rear engine cover, reprofiled rear bumper, fresh taillights, and a new exhaust. The far bigger development is that the updated 911 is expected to ditch natural aspiration in favor of downsized turbocharged engines across almost the entire range – not just in the 911 Turbo. This particular version we see here, however, could be one of the few hold-outs for atmospheric pressure. That's because what we're looking at could be the upcoming back-to-basics version being prepared by the GT division – the same outfit responsible for the 911 GT3, GT3 RS, and Cayman GT4. Possibly adopting the name GT5, this new version of the 911 is anticipated to be the purist's choice: naturally aspirated flat-six, three-pedal manual transmission, skinny tires, no frills. This undisguised prototype appears to be packing a production roll cage and thin, leather-clad bucket seats – splitting the difference between racing buckets and the usual, thicker thrones. We'll have to wait a bit longer until Porsche is ready to release all the details of the refreshed 911, hopefully to include that GT version. But for an unadulterated taste of what's to come, look no further than the spy shots in the image gallery above. Related Video:

The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.