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Audi and Porsche squabble over future product platforms

In the buildup to the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi delivered an amusing video that worked on the playful rivalry between the German brand and its favorite frenemy, Porsche. We called it sibling rivalry, and at the time, it may have been just that. But just like sibling rivalries, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and that's just what seems to be about to happen in the formerly peaceful Volkswagen Group family.
A new report from Automobile calls out the growing animosity between Porsche, who is backed up by Bentley, and Audi, whose primary ally is Lamborghini. No blows have actually been thrown, although there is a fair amount of "he said, she said" going on.
As Porsche tells it, for example, the new global fullsize SUV architecture being developed by Audi isn't up to snuff, citing size and structure issues, as well as an inability to accommodate a wide variety of engines.

Former Porsche execs charged with stock manipulation in Germany

The ongoing indictment of top Porsche executives for alleged stock manipulation during the attempted takeover of Volkswagen has taken years to reach an actual decision, but a trial date has finally been set for October 22. In addition to former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking (pictured above) and ex-CFO Holger Haerter, prosecutors have also added Anton Hunger, who was communications boss at the time, to the list of those charged, according to Reuters. The men purportedly made false statements to investors about plans to acquire 75 percent of VW stock. The prosecutor also dropped charges against Ferdinand Piech and Wolfgang Porsche in the same case, Reuters reports. The two Porsche family members were on the company's board at the time, but investigators found that they had no role in making the false statements. If found guilty, the former Porsche execs could face up to five years in prison. As expected, lawyers for Wiedeking and Haerter have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by their clients. The investigation into Porsche SE's actions during the failed VW takeover go back to at least 2009 when the firm's offices were raided. Wiedeking and Haerter were eventually indicted in 2012. A Stuttgart court initially dismissed the case for lack of evidence, but in 2014 that decision was reversed on appeal. At the same time, investors have brought multiple civil lawsuits against the company, but none of those cases have been successful.

Porsche will sacrifice profit growth to fund EV development

Porsche is so serious about developing electrified vehicles that it's willing to sacrifice big jumps in profits to fund the investment. After a massive upgrade to the Zuffenhausen plant, the company will build the Mission E EV (above) there in 2020. "Therefore it's clear that we can no longer carry out major leaps on results," the CEO Oliver Blume said about the automaker's financial growth, according to Reuters. Porsche will invest 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) through 2020 to make additional electrified vehicles possible. Around 700 million euros ($765 million) will go into the Zuffenhausen factory to build a new paint shop, assembly plant, and upgrade the engine factory to produce electric motors for hybrids and EVs. The expansion will also bring all Cayman and Boxster assembly under one roof. Outside of Zuffenhausen, the money will improve the research and development center in Weissach and update the sales and marketing department in Ludwigsburg. Blume said Porsche has "many new products in the pipeline," according to Reuters, and he wants as many of those as possible available with some level of electrification. In addition to the Mission E, there are rumors the company might build a 911 plug-in hybrid as soon as 2018. While Blume doesn't forecast big jumps in profits, Porsche should still remain financially successful in the coming years. The automaker doesn't report its 2015 earnings until March 11, but Reuters reports the company's global deliveries topped 200,000 vehicles for the first time ever last year, which could push its operating profit well above 2014's 2.72 billion euros ($3 billion at current rates). Related Video: