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Porsche responds to PETA after tiger cub displays at Macan dealership events

Porsche has found itself in the good graces of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is pretty odd considering it's the only brand we know of that offers leather-lined vents. The activist group is praising the sports car manufacturer's handling of reports that some of its dealerships were set to feature tigers or tiger cubs at the local launch events for the Macan. Apparently, "macan" is the Malay word for tiger, which explains the connection between a highly touted crossover and a jungle cat.
A Tampa, FL dealership already displayed some three-week-old cubs, with PETA saying tigers for display should be at least eight to 12 weeks old. Even then, the group argues that the animals can suffer due to stress, malnourishment, neglect and a lack of veterinary care. The group brings up legal concerns, as well, arguing that if one of the cubs bit a customer, the dealership could be held liable (we're no big cat experts, but it seems unlikely a three-week-old cub could do that much damage).
Porsche's PR department quickly reacted to PETA's claims, with Vice President of Marketing Andre Oosthuizen, telling the group that Porsche is concerned about the "welfare of any animal, large or small, wild or domesticated." Oosthuizen's statements were reported in an official PETA blog.

McLaren rules out Porsche Cayman competitor

McLaren has gone downmarket with the introduction of its new Sports Series, but don't expect it to go any lower than that. So while the 570S goes up against the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo, the likes of the TT and Cayman can rest easy. Speaking with Autocar, McLaren designer Robert Melville ruled out the prospect of developing a sports car positioned lower than the Sports Series. Melville dismissed the idea of a Cayman rival from Woking as "a step too far" and "not exclusive enough" for McLaren. "You look at Ferrari. They are coming from very high end. [The 570S] is stretching us down to R8s and 911s and is as low as we'd want to come." The limit may be dictated, more than anything, by the building blocks. The newly introduced Sports Series adopts the same essential hard points as the higher-end Super Series (650S) and Ultimate Series (P1). Like its more expensive siblings, it features a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and bolted to the back of a carbon monocoque chassis. Only instead of selling for $265k like the 650S or over $1 million like the P1, the 570S will retail for under $190k. Volume is how the manufacturer aims to make up the difference. In fact McLaren stands to generate as much revenue (if not necessarily the same profit margin) selling 2,500 units in the Sports Series each year as it has producing all 375 examples of the P1. Making those same building blocks available at a lower price point – or developing an entirely new set – would be an entirely different proposition... one which McLaren is evidently less than keen to undertake. So while we can look forward to new versions of the Sports Series to follow – including Spider and GT variants soon to follow – more commonplace stablemate appears to be off the table. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 McLaren 570S: First Drive View 34 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL McLaren Porsche Performance Supercars mclaren 570s mclaren sports series

Porsche CEO outlines Cayenne diesel US repair proposal

Porsche has announced a plan to fix the emissions issue on the Cayenne with the 3.0-liter diesel V6, and it includes a software update and the replacement of the catalytic converter on some early examples, according to Reuters. The company believes these repairs are enough to make the SUVs emissions compliant, but the automaker's proposal still needs approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board before it can implement a recall. This authorization could come by the end of January. Note that the proposed 3.0-liter TDI plan is separate from the 2.0-liter TDI fix that was rejected by CARB on Tuesday. There are around 13,000 Cayennes on the road that the company needs to repair. Models from 2013 and 2014 would require a new catalytic converter and a software update, but those from 2015 and 2016 would just need the new software. "The technical aspects have all been submitted, we will wait whether there will still be proposals for corrections by the Americans," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said to Reuters. He wasn't sure how long the repair process would take, but suggested less than half of the affected examples would require the upgraded exhaust hardware. Blume indicated to Reuters that Audi actually created this repair plan. The EPA first issued a violation notice against the 3.0 TDI in early November and later broadened it to around 85,000 vehicles from the 2009-2016 model years, including diesel examples of the Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, and Q7. Audi later admitted the engine contained previously undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices. CARB gave the automaker 45 days to come up with a recall proposal to fix the 15,000 affected models in the state. Related Video: