2003 Porsche Boxster on 2040-cars

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Porsche 911 R, GT3 variant with manual trans, spotted

The Porsche 911 GT3 is still a strong enthusiast choice in the 911 range, and the GT3 RS has gone more hardcore. But both versions are PDK-only. The upcoming Porsche 911 R, spied undergoing testing in Germany, is tipped to adopt the naturally aspirated engine from the aforementioned GT3, producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 475-500 horsepower. Only instead of an automated dual-clutch transmission, it'll feature a proper manual. Other changes are expected in the form of skinnier tires to provide less grip but a more approachable limit of adhesion. It may or may not feature a small ducktail spoiler at the back. We wouldn't be surprised to see it ditch the four-wheel steering system, either. Weissach may also give it some retro cues as well, but the question all those purists will be asking is how many Porsche will make. The last 911 R yielded only 22 examples way back in 1967. This time they'll have to make far more, but we wouldn't expect this particular version to be exactly what you might call "ubiquitous." No matter how rare, it'll definitely be the purist's choice. Related Video:

Porsche skipping 2017 Detroit Auto Show

Porsche is going to pass on the annual North American International Auto Show in January 2017. The news was first reported on Tuesday by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. NAIAS spokesman Max Muncey confirmed the report to Autoblog. According to Automotive News, Porsche will shift its auto show focus to April's New York International Auto Show and November's Los Angeles International Auto Show. Chicago Auto Show spokesman Dave Sloan reached out to Autoblog to add that Porsche is doubling the size of its exhibit in the Windy City. According to AN, Porsche "viewed the cost and value of participating in the Detroit auto show were no longer viable." See, Detroit is big on news and debuts instead of ultra-impressive ticket sales. But over 1 million people passed through the doors of the Jacob Javits Center in New York last year, just under 200,000 more than in the Motor City. LA, meanwhile, is Porsche's biggest US market, which explains the loyalty. In other words, Detroit's great for debuting cars, but without anything new Porsche can get more cluck for its buck by reallocating resources to New York and LA. If Porsche's rationale sounds familiar, it's because it is. Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Tesla used Detroit's heavy focus on new vehicle introductions and its relatively small attendance to skip the 2016 North American International Auto Show in favor of shows with higher attendance. Porsche previously skipped the 2009 NAIAS, citing similar reasons. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty LA Auto Show Detroit Auto Show New York Auto Show Porsche confirmed 2017 Detroit Auto Show

The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda