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Porsche calling in two Cayennes

We regularly see recalls addressing all manner of problems (or potential problems) affecting any number of vehicles: hundreds, thousands, even millions. Some are too small to bother reporting, but once in a while one comes along that's so ridiculously small that we couldn't pass it over. Like this latest one from Porsche. "Due to a manufacturing error," says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the notice below, "the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque." The recall affects the 2015 Cayenne... but just how many of them, you ask? Two. Not two hundred, not two thousand, but two: one Cayenne Diesel and one Cayenne S, manufactured between November 26 and... November 27, 2014. That very well might make this the most methodically German recall in the history of recalls. If you happen to be the owner of one of those two vehicles, expect to hear from Porsche with instructions to bring your Cayenne in to have the suspension re-aligned and the screws tightened. RECALL Subject : Front and Rear Alignment may be Incorrect Report Receipt Date: DEC 29, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V824000 Component(s): SUSPENSION Potential Number of Units Affected: 2 Manufacturer: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S vehicles manufactured November 26, 2014, to November 27, 2014. Due to a manufacturing error, the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque. CONSEQUENCE: If the suspension alignment was incorrectly performed, vehicle handling could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will perform a front and rear suspension alignment, and check the screw connections for the proper torque, retightening as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification date. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AF04. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Audi CEO's Dieselgate arrest threatens fragile truce among VW stakeholders

FRANKFURT — The arrest and detention of Audi's chief executive forces Volkswagen Group's competing stakeholders to renegotiate the delicate balance of power that has helped keep Audi CEO Rupert Stadler in office. Volkswagen's directors are discussing how to run Audi, its most profitable division, following the arrest of the brand's long-time boss on Monday as part of Germany's investigations into the carmaker's emissions cheating scandal. The supervisory board of Audi, meanwhile, has suspended Stadler and appointed Dutchman Bram Schot as an interim replacement, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Schot joined the Volkswagen Group in 2011 after having worked as president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italia. He has been Audi's board member for sales and marketing since last September. The discussions risk reigniting tensions among VW's controlling Piech and Porsche families, its powerful labor representatives and its home region of Lower Saxony. VW has insisted the development of illegal software, also known as "defeat devices," installed in millions of cars was the work of low-level employees, and that no management board members were involved. U.S. prosecutors have challenged this by indicting VW's former chief executive Martin Winterkorn. Stadler's arrest raises further questions. Audi and VW said on Monday that Stadler was presumed innocent unless proved otherwise. Munich prosecutors detained Stadler to prevent him from obstructing a probe into Audi's emissions cheating, they said on Monday. Stadler is being investigated for suspected fraud and false advertising. Here are the main factors deciding the fate of Audi. Background: Audi's role in Dieselgate Volkswagen Group was plunged into crisis in 2015 after U.S. regulators found Europe's biggest carmaker had equipped cars with software to cheat emissions tests on diesel engines. The technique of using software to detect a pollution test procedure, and to increase the effectiveness of emissions filters to mask pollution levels only during tests, was first developed at Audi. "In designing the defeat device, VW engineers borrowed the original concept of the dual-mode, emissions cycle-beating software from Audi," VW said in its plea agreement with U.S. authorities in January 2017, in which the company agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine to reach a settlement with U.S. regulators.

Alonso wants an NSX, but did Honda block him from Le Mans?

One of the biggest changes in store for the 2015 Formula One World Championship will see Fernando Alonso moving back to McLaren. That means he'll be driving under Honda power for the first time, after spending the bulk of his career driving for Renault and Ferrari. And being Honda's new poster child, as the two-time World Champion is fast discovering, has its advantages and its drawbacks. According to the latest reports, Alonso had been negotiating a clause in his contract with McLaren that could have seen him driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans this year, but Honda reportedly stepped in at the last minute and scuttled the plan. The drive would have been Alonso's first in the famous 24-hour race, after having had the honor of waving the flag at La Sarthe last summer. In one of the wilder rumors that emerged during the prolonged silence over his move for this season, the Spaniard was also linked to a potential return for Ferrari to Le Mans. That prospect came to naught, and now the Porsche deal has been wheeled into the garage, as well. The upcoming F1 season is expected to be one of transition, adjustment and development for McLaren and Honda, but the Japanese automaker's involvement in his hiring may not be all bad news for Alonso. Following the reveal of the new Acura NSX, Alonso tweeted "You still don't know, but one day we will be together..." followed by a series of heart-eyed smiley-face emoticons and accompanies by images of Honda's new supercar. The implication is that the two-time World Champion is expecting to get his talented hands on an NSX of his own, and we can certainly see how Honda would appreciate the imagery of Fernando driving around in its flagship. Even if it doesn't, though, we're sure McLaren would be glad to hook him up with a company car of its own – though Lewis Hamilton encountered some trouble securing (a very specific) one for himself. Even discounting the front-running F1 machinery he's been tasked with piloting on track to an impressive 32 career wins, Alonso has had some lustworthy company cars at his disposal over the years. At Renault, he had a Megane RS to drive, and during his last stint at McLaren, he had an SLR 722. But since signing with Ferrari, he's been given the keys to FCA models as varied as a Ferrari FF, a special 599 GTO, a Maserati GranCabrio, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and an Abarth 695... and those are just the ones we know about.