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Hamann Porsche Macan S Diesel promises more performance, questionable looks

Ignore the Gulf Oil livery for a minute (we know, it's hard). What we have under the blue-and-orange paint scheme is a diesel-powered Porsche Macan S, which is fascinating enough in and of itself. But this particular example has been upgraded by the folks at Hamann, for that added bit of oomph. Power output from the 3.0-liter V6 diesel is up from 258 horsepower to 300 hp. We buy diesels for torque, though, so it's the 494 pound-feet, up from 427 lb-ft, that really gets us excited about this modded Porsche. Taken together, the Hamann Macan S Diesel can hit 60 miles per hour in a decidedly un-diesel-like 5.7 seconds, down from 6.1 seconds. German tuners like Hamann are not known for their subtlety, of course, so beyond the power ugprades, the company has made its own aesthetic tweaks. The new body kit is, um, aggressive? Okay, it's really not very nice to look at. The Macan is a handsome vehicle on its own, but Hamann's efforts haven't done it any favors. It's extremely busy, particularly around the front and rear ends, where the tuning company's efforts seem focused. We're guessing some attention has been paid to the cabin, although it's impossible to tell on the Geneva show car, which has had all of its windows heavily tinted. Here's hoping any changes to Macan's cleanly styled cabin are kept to a minimum. Take a look at our full crop of live photos of the modded Macan, direct from the floors of the Geneva Motor Show. High-performance power, long-distance comfort, extravagance: the benchmark figures of the formidable Porsche Macan S Diesel are impressive. For all fans of the dynamic vehicle Hamann's tuning experts now sets the bar even higher. As is generally known, the model's name "Macan" was derived from the Indonesian word for tiger – and exactly this tiger Hamann frees from the ties of a series actor. The face of the Macan, which Hamann presents in the S Diesel version in Geneva, has self-confident traits. The tiger seems ready to jump – an effect achieved by the low line of the front apron and the lowering of the car. Hamann's aerodynamics attachment emphasises the sharp "teeth" of the Macan Turbo's standard front and sets distinctive accents. The car refiner's interpretation of the Macan S Diesel appears well-toned and is coherently continued in powerfully shaped wing extensions making the predator's body grow by twelve centimetres in width.

Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche adds third 919 Hybrid for Le Mans, Audi to heat factory with geothermal

Porsche will be running a third 919 Hybrid LMP1 car in the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The extra Porsche will race in the six-hour May 2 WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps as a lead-up to the legendary 24-hour race on June 13 and 14. Porsche hasn't announced the driver lineup for the third 919 Hybrid, but drivers will remain the same for the other two cars. Including the third car is meant to help further test performance and efficiency as part of development for future hybrid systems. Read more at Green Car Congress. BMW i Ventures is investing in Zendrive, a driving focused data and analytics company. The cooperation of the two companies is meant to help advance safety and efficiency by making the "in-car mobility experience even smoother by optimizing commuting and driving patterns," according to BMW i's Ulrich Quay. The venture capital arm of BMW's i brand also invests in JustPark, Chargepoint, Life360, Chargemaster and MyCityWay, and says it will have more strategic investment announcements in the coming months. Read more in the press release below. The Audi Hungaria factory in Gyor, Hungary will soon be getting geothermal energy from a nearby plant being constructed in Per. When the facility is finished, Audi expects to source 82,000 megawatt hours of geothermal energy per year from it, or about six percent of its total heating needs. The clean energy helps Audi move "step by step along a path to developing a CO2-neutral production plant," says Audi's Dr. Hubert Waltl. "The mobility of the future must be CO2-neutral – and that applies not only to the use of our vehicles, but also to their production." Read more in the press release below. Supporters have begun a petition drive for the passage of an E15 ordinance in Chicago. Despite pushback from oil companies, the city council is close to passing the "Chicago Clean Air Choice Ordinance," which includes the requirement by retailers to sell the 15-percent ethanol gasoline blend in the city. The ordinance includes an exception for stations selling less than 850,000 gallons of fuel per year. More than 4,000 people have signed the petition so far, with others leaving messages to voice their opinion on the matter in opposition to Big Oil's attempt to block it. Read more at Domestic Fuel. BMW i Ventures announces strategic investment in Zendrive. - Further Increasing safety and security through innovative mobility services. New York City, NY.

Porsche Boxster and Cayman 4-cyl rated from 240 hp to 370 hp

Car magazine has information on the revised 981.2-series Porsche Boxster and Cayman twins that will inaugurate the all-turbo era for those two ranges. Almost all-turbo, that is - we're told that variants like the Cayman GT4 will continue with the flat-six. The rest, though, will come with a 2.0-liter, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder aided by just one turbocharger, according to Car's sources. Entry-level models will start at 240 horsepower, the S models graduate to 300 hp, the GTS trims get 370 hp. If accurate, the new new outputs will make for a wider power range than at present, and the base and S cars will go down in horsepower. Right now the Boxster gets 265 hp, the Boxster S gets 315 hp, and the Cayman lineup has ten more horsepower than the Boxster across the range but Car doesn't mention that continuing. The only gains come with the GTS models: the Boxster S will go up by 40 hp, the Cayman by 30 hp. To keep turbo lag from being an issue, Porsche could install some sort of e-boost to work while the turbo spools up "as a short-to-mid-term option." It is also possible that the Cayman will be sold as the entry-level vehicle in some markets at a lower price than the Boxster. The swap is planned to help Cayman sales, which have lagged the Boxster since launch. A 2016 unveil is predicted, perhaps at the Detroit Auto Show or Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: