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Porsche planning more plug-ins

Which automaker offers the most plug-in models in the industry? The answer may surprise you, because it's not Toyota, it's not Renault or Nissan or any other automaker that might spring to mind. The answer is Porsche, which already offers the Cayenne and Panamera in plug-in hybrid spec in addition to the 918 Spyder. And it could offer more in the near future. Speaking with Automotive News, Porsche's global sales and marketing chief Bernhard Maier spoke of the importance of plug-in range-extended models to the company's future plans. The 55-year-old executive, who endeavors to make his 56-mile round-trip daily commute from home to the company's headquarters in Stuttgart entirely emissions free, indicated that his company only plans to offer more plug-in models. Previous reports indicated that E-Hybrid powertrain in the Cayenne and Panamera wouldn't fit in the Macan, and that no such plans were in store for the Boxster, Cayman or 911. But when asked what Porsche had in store for the future, Maier replied: "We have a lot of ideas, but we have not approved them for production yet. The 918 Spyder shows that Porsche has the capability to produce very convincing hybrid sports cars." While clearly guarded, Maier's answer points to a future of more plug-in hybrid models from the storied German marque. All that remains to be seen is whether that will come in the form of a Boxster, Cayman, Macan or another new model altogether, like the rumored mini-Panamera dubbed Pajun or a mid-engined V8 supercar.

Paul Walker's daughter files wrongful death suit against Porsche [UPDATE]

UPDATE: This post has been edited to include a statement from Porsche. While police blamed the crash that killed Fast and Furious star Paul Walker and racecar driver Roger Rodas on excessive speed, Walker's daughter, Meadow, thinks Porsche is at fault. The 16-year-old has now filed a wrongful death suit against the German manufacturer to back up that allegation. According to legal documents obtained by E! Online, the suit alleges that the Carrera GT that Walker and Rodas died in "lacked safety features ... that could have prevented the accident or, at a minimum, allowed Paul Walker to survive the crash," with Porsche Stability Management being called out in particular. Federal motor vehicle safety standards didn't require new cars sold in the US to be equipped with electronic stability control until 2012. The suit focuses not only on the Carrera GT's lack of electronic safety systems and "history of instability and control issues," but on an allegedly defective seatbelt. It claims that upon impact, the belt "snapped Walker's torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis," and prevented him from exiting the car before it caught fire, roughly a minute and 20 seconds after the initial impact, according to TMZ. Soot found in Walker's windpipe supports the theory that he was alive and breathing when the fire started, the suit continues. Like the suit Roger Rodas' widow filed against Porsche in 2014, Walker's filing also alleges that the Carrera GT wasn't traveling at 80 to 93 miles per hour, as a police investigation concluded. But where Mrs. Rodas claimed the Carrera GT was going 55 at the time of the crash, this suit claims the hypercar was moving at 63 to 71 mph. That's a more manageable figure to be sure, and if true would have a serious impact on the way the car behaved, but it's still well above the road's posted 45-mph speed limit. "The bottom line is that the Porsche Carrera GT is a dangerous car," Meadow Walker's lawyer told TMZ. "It doesn't belong on the street. And we shouldn't be without Paul Walker or his friend, Roger Rodas." Porsche, meanwhile, has stood by the reports from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other authorities.

1949 Gm?nd Porsche shows the birth of an icon

The Austrian village of Gmünd is more than just difficult to pronounce; it's also the birthplace of the Porsche brand. Before the company ever started building sports cars at its current home base near Stuttgart, the fledgling business completed several vehicles in the tiny town in Southern Austria. In this video, former Pikes Peak International Hill Climb champion Jeff Zwart takes a look at a 1949 Gmünd coupe to see how the company has evolved since its earliest days.
The thing to note about the Gmünd-built Porsches is their absolute design simplicity. The phrase "form follows function" gets bandied around a lot, but it really means something when you look at these early cars. However, the minimalism was partially out of necessity. The vehicles were meant to be sporty but certainly weren't rockets. Power came courtesy of a modified Volkswagen Beetle engine, and anything extraneous would have slowed the models down. Scroll down to watch Zwart go back in time to Porsche's beginnings.