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Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller throws hat back in ring for VW CEO job

Toward the end of February it got leaked that Porsche CEO Matthias Muller was being promoted to Volkswagen's supervisory board. Muller's credentials and his success over 36 years at the VW Group have, for observers, put his name in the pool of potential candidates to succeed current group CEO Martin Winterkorn when Winterkorn retires in two years. But the 61-year-old Muller told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung earlier in February, "It's no solution to put a 63-year-old at the head of Volkswagen," and the statement was taken to mean he wasn't considering the job. Muller now says the quote was misunderstood. In a report in Automotive News, the newly minted board member says he was commenting on what it would mean for the supervisory board and the Group if they nominated a 63-year-old to replace a 69-year-old - that it wouldn't result in a "generation change." However, if that's what they choose to do, Muller feels great: "I stand ready to take over any assignment," he said. Muller's name re-enters the candidacy pool, but we still have no idea who leads the running for the role and Winterkorn isn't saying a word. It could be three years before we know: Winterkorn's contract concludes at the end of next year but there is speculation he'll re-up for two years to see out the end of the Strategy 2018 initiative.

Porsche 5 Series fighter may be electric

We know that Porsche is developing a seventh model range for its lineup thanks to the March announcement from company boss Matthias Muller. The actual identity of this future vehicle remains a mystery, though. Autocar is coming down firmly on the side of the smaller Panamera, codenamed the Pajun, and speculates the new entry might be available in battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell versions based on recent patent filings. Porsche is famous for sticking with the rear-engine layout on the 911 for decades, even as the company moves the powertrain forward in other models. According to Autocar, the EV version of the Pajun might mark a return to these roots. The German brand is reportedly preparing a modified version of Volkswagen Group's MSB platform for the new vehicle. Called eMSB, the setup puts the batteries and electric motors at the back, and each rear wheel would receive power separately to allow for torque vectoring. The system is estimated to generate 420 horsepower, which is on par with the all-wheel-drive Tesla Model S 85D. The fuel cell Pajun would join the lineup later. The Pajun is rumored to take on the likes of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but any luxury EV of that size must count the Tesla Model S as a competitor, too. According to Autocar, the styling takes cues from the Panamera Sport Turismo concept (pictured above) and could launch around 2018. Rumors of Porsche's Tesla-fighter were swirling for months before Muller's announcement, and talk of the Pajun has gone on even longer. Previous reports have suggested the possibility of a 300-mile range and an all-wheel-drive layout with 600 hp. While the actual design has remained ambiguous beyond the potential link to the Panamera, the model was possibly spied last year at the Porsche Design Tower in Florida.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid gets $3,400 price cut in Canada

It's about $2,560 to you and me, pilgrim. Porsche is cutting the price of its Panamera S E-Hybrid by $3,400 for our neighbors to the north. In US dollars, that's a haircut of about $2,560. Of course, the premium SUV plug-in hybrid is no bargain, even in Canadian dollars. The sticker price now comes in at C$106,000 for the parallel plug-in hybrid. Granted, the car is a beast, and represents one heck of an effort for the German luxury-vehicle maker to hop aboard the green-car train, however little sales they derive from it. The model delivers 416 horsepower from its V6 gas-powered engine and electric motor. So while that's good for a fuel-economy rating (here in the States, at least) of 50 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), the car also has a top speed of 167 miles per hour. Think Montreal to Toronto in two hours and change, if the roads are empty. And not frozen. And have no speed limit. Stateside, the plug-in Panamera has been selling in pretty low volumes. The model, including the gas-powered version, moved about 4,200 units through the first 10 months of the year, or about 10 percent of Porsche's total. Through October, sales of the plug-in only were down 55 percent from a year earlier to just 358 units, so one shouldn't expect a flood of them to be sold because of the three-percent discount. Still, a price cut certainly beats a snowshoe to the head. Take a look at Porsche's press release below. Porsche Canada realigns pricing of its plug-in premium sports sedan 2016 Panamera S E-Hybrid now starts at $106,600 MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 9, 2015 /CNW/ - Porsche Canada announced today that it had lowered the starting price of the Panamera S E-Hybrid for 2016 model year, effective immediately. The first plug-in hybrid vehicle in the luxury segment will now be offered starting at $106,600 – a reduction of $3,400 compared to the 2015 model year. This adjustment effectively brings the price in alignment with that of the Panamera S. Now, the Panamera S E-Hybrid represents an even more compelling choice in the segment, offering such quintessential Porsche traits as style, performance, quality, and impressive efficiency of its advanced powertrain. The hybrid tradition at Porsche extends back to the year 1899 and to the Lohner Porsche – the world's first vehicle to have a battery-powered electric drive as well as a combustion engine, which was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche.