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2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid is one mean green machine

The entire Porsche Panamera lineup gets a refresh for the 2014 model year, and new additions to the range include two long-wheelbase models and this E-Hybrid fuel-sipper that makes its debut here at the Shanghai Motor Show. And, well, we say "fuel-sipper lightly."
Porsche has packed its hybrid Panamera with 416 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque, and that certainly makes for one quick sedan-hatchback-thing. Hitting 60 miles per hour will reportedly take just 5.2 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 167 mph. And while Porsche hasn't revealed specific powertrain details, the company says that the S E-Hybrid "improves upon the concept offered by the previous Panamera S Hybrid with a more powerful electric motor," which leads us to believe that the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine at the heart of it all still remains intact.
Fuel economy numbers (or estimates) have not been released as of this writing, but we expect to have that information closer to the car's on-sale date later this year. As for the new battery system, Porsche says that when plugged into a 240-volt charging station, it can be fully charged in just two and a half hours. When topped off, the Panamera S E-Hybrid should have an electric driving range of around 20 miles at speeds up to 84 mph, though, obviously, not at the same time.

World Car of the Year finalists announced

To say the 2014 Geneva Motor Show was packed full of news is an understatement as big as the show's home at the Palexpo convention center. Despite everything that we were able to cover during this year's show, there's still more coming out of Switzerland, including the announcement of the finalists for the 2014 World Car of the Year Awards.
We reported on the original list of finalists over three weeks ago, and now, that initial list has been pared down to three finalists for each of the five awards. The finalists were announced at a press conference by frequent Autoblog contributor and co-chair of the awards, Matt Davis (above).
The finalists for the overall title of 2014 World Car of the Year are the Audi A3, the BMW 4 Series and the Mazda3. The World Luxury Car of the Year will be either the Bentley Flying Spur, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, while the Performance Car of the Year will be awarded to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the Ferrari 458 Speciale or the Porsche 911 GT3 (which, um, yeah...).

Porsche's new twin-turbo V8 will power Audis

Porsche unveiled a new twin-turbo V8 engine at the 37th International Vienna Motor Symposium yesterday. According to a report from Car and Driver, the engine will see use in future V8 applications across the VW Group and could find its way into various Audis, Bentleys, and even the Lamborghini Urus. We expect to see it first in the 2017 Porsche Panamera. The engine makes 549 horsepower and 567 pound-feet of torque, or 21 hp less than the 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Panamera Turbo S. Welcome to the brave new world in which Porsche is a more-integrated part of the VW group. While the new engine puts out impressive numbers, it likely means that the Porsche-exclusive 4.8-liter is headed for the history books. Component sharing is nothing new - Porsche already uses other VW Group engines in its lineup - but it means the flat-four and flat-six engines in the 718 Boxster/Cayman and 911 will be the only unique powerplants remaining in the Stuttgart automaker's offerings. According to C/D, the new engine features cylinder deactivation and is optimized for future hybrid applications. It also consumes 30 percent less fuel than its predecessor, and will mate to both an 8-speed automatic and ZF's dual-clutch 8-speed. Along with the next Panamera, Porsche is also likely to use this engine in the Cayenne. A representative of Porsche North America was unable to provide any official information to Autoblog. If you're hungry for more details, click through to C/D's website. Related Video: News Source: Car and Driver, 37th International Vienna Motor Symposium Porsche Luxury Performance