2008 Porsche Cayenne 16 Passenger Limousine With Jet Door #1880 on 2040-cars

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German carmakers recall 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe

Mercedes, Opel, Porsche, and Volkswagen will recall over 630,000 cars in Europe, according to reports Friday. No diesel car has been able to get under the legal emissions limit in real-world driving, according to a German government investigation. While only Volkswagen Group has been using a specific "defeat device", other carmakers have been playing with their exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. Depending of the manufacturer, the systems have been cut off at a certain temperature. In a specific test cycle the systems operate to fulfill the legal requirements, but in everyday use the limits are exceeded. According to the magazine Der Spiegel, the supplier Bosch is behind this programming and has provided it to all German automakers. The mentioned carmakers have announced recalls, but many other manufacturers are also mentioned by name in the report, including Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Nissan, Renault, and Suzuki. PSA Group, which produces Peugeot, Citroen, and DS cars, declared yesterday that its offices were raided following an emissions investigation. Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Getty Images Government/Legal Green Recalls Mercedes-Benz Porsche Volkswagen Opel Emissions Diesel Vehicles diesel emissions investigation

What driving data is Android Auto collecting from us?

In-car solutions like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto make using your smartphone while driving increasingly easy, by replicating most of the gadget's functions on a vehicle's infotainment screen. In fact, they rank among the favorite automotive features available today by Autoblog editors. While there's certainly added convenience, Motor Trend claims Google is collecting a huge array of data during trips, as well. Although, that might not actually be the case. In a rundown of the upgrades for the newly refreshed Porsche 911, Motor Trend asserts that the iconic coupe doesn't have Android Auto because of alleged privacy concerns. Reportedly, Porsche elected to only include CarPlay because the Google tech collected info on a vehicle's speed and other data. The German company didn't want to share all of that vital info with another corporation. Google opposes the allegations, though. "We take privacy very seriously and do not collect the data the Motor Trend article claims such as throttle position, oil temp and coolant temp," the company said in a portion of a statement to TechCrunch. Android Auto does use a vehicle's GPS system for location info, and checks whether it's in Park or Drive to enable some features. Also, users must opt-in to sharing the first time that they connect their phone. There might be an explanation for this confusion, according to TechCrunch. Allegedly before Android Auto launched, Google did want more vehicle data, but the company eventually changed course. Porsche may have based its decision on this earlier version. This case just shines a light on the growing question of automotive privacy and Google's potential role. The government has been unhappy with how automakers have handled this responsibility, so far, though.

Porsche calls in The Committee for Boxster and Cayman GTS

Porsche is set to offer up the very first GTS variants of its more affordable Boxster convertibles and Cayman coupes. This is very good news for enthusiasts. Aside from our original post announcing the hotted up models, though, Porsche hasn't given us much to go on.
And you know what? This video isn't much of help either. It's called The Committee, and we're guessing it's meant to highlight the lengths that Porsche went to in designing what are essentially sportier trim levels for its two most affordable entries. Still, it's a stylized and entertaining video with a few entertaining driving scenes scattered throughout, and it gives just a small glimpse of Porsche's view of the vaunted GTS badge.
Take a look below for the full video.