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2017 Porsche Panamera wagon spotted on Nurburgring

Back in February we showed you spy photos of a Porsche Panamera wagon that suggest the body style is slated for production. With the same car (or a nearly identical test mule) now running on the Nurburgring, we're ready to say the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo is real. The name comes from a concept shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. It's not confirmed whether the Sport Turismo badge will be the official name for this model. We've seen spy photos of the standard Panamera hatchback, and both it and the wagon shares similar body panels. Expect to see the new 2017 Porsche Panamera at Paris this year with new or updated V6 and V8 engines as well as a plug-in hybrid option. The new Panamera is based off the MSB platform that Porsche is leading development on. As we reported previously, the next big Porsche could come as a coupe variant as well. Autocar also reports that the MSB platform will underpin future Bentley models, and the next Audi A8 (or A9 coupe) will probably share the same architecture. Before you bemoan the shared platform as some kind of brand dilution, remember that Porsche claims the Macan SUV shares only one-third of its parts with the Audi Q5. That is, the brands in the VW maintain a lot of differentiation despite common underpinnings. Or to put it another way: if you're going to make a knee-jerk complaint about Porsche, keep it to the standard cliches about making too many SUVs or how the Panamera isn't pretty. But to go back to the wagon seen above, at least the boxy tail lends some elegance to the Panamera's generous dimensions. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Wagon Spy Shots View 9 Photos Spy Photos Paris Motor Show Porsche Wagon Luxury porsche panamera sport turismo

Gemballa reveals new Porsche 991-based GT convertible

Gemballa went through the ringer last year, but rebounded with products that signal a complete turnaround. The latest is the recently-released Porsche 911 Carrera S with a Gemballa GT aerodynamics and technology package. Aero-wise, it includes carbon fiber additions beginning with a front bumper wearing the classic Gemballa air intake design and a lower, angrier splitter. New side skirts run from wheel to wheel, the final piece being a rear bumper in three sculpted horizontal sections featuring a rear diffuser tucked between six rectangular exhaust tips.
No engine mods have been made, but the technology part of the tune - springs that are 30 millimeters shorter yet still able to work with the PASM system - is claimed to make the car faster. Bringing things to a halt is a new Brembo brake system hiding behind 21-inch GForged wheels that are lighter than Porsche's standard 20-inchers.
The Gemballa GT aero kit runs €19,860 ($26,070 U.S.), which includes paint and installation if you happen to be in Germany, and we're assuming that includes the suspension modification, brakes and sport exhaust. The GForged wheels are another €9,895 ($12,989 U.S.) depending on your choice of tire. Check out the press release below for more info, and the photo gallery above for all the angles.

VW may move production because of Russia's cutoff of natural gas

Volkswagen AG is exploring ways to counter a shortage in natural gas, including shifting production around its network of global facilities, signaling how the energy crisis unleashed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to upend EuropeÂ’s industrial landscape. Volkswagen, EuropeÂ’s biggest carmaker, said Thursday that reallocating some of its production was one of the options available in the medium term if gas shortages last much beyond this winter. The company has major factories in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which are among European countries most reliant on Russian gas, as well as facilities in southern Europe that source energy from elsewhere. “As mid-term alternatives, we are focusing on greater localization, relocation of manufacturing capacity, or technical alternatives, similar to what is already common practice in the context of challenges related to semiconductor shortages and other recent supply chain disruptions,” Geng Wu, VolkswagenÂ’s head of purchasing, said in a statement.  RussiaÂ’s decision to throttle gas supplies to Europe has raised concerns that Germany might be forced to ration its fuel. Recent news that gas storage levels hit 90% ahead of schedule has soothed fears of acute shortages this winter, but Germany faces a challenge in replenishing depleted reserves next summer without contributions from Russia. Southwestern Europe or coastal zones of northern Europe, both of which have better access to seaborne liquefied natural gas cargoes, could be the beneficiaries of any production shift, a Volkswagen spokesman said by phone. The Volkswagen group already operates car factories in Portugal, Spain and Belgium, countries that host LNG terminals. Labor hurdles To be sure, any major production shift away from EuropeÂ’s biggest economy would face significant hurdles. VW has some 295,000 employees in Germany and worker representatives account for around half the companyÂ’s 20-member supervisory board. Any shift in production would likely involve a limited number of vehicles rather than wholesale factory shutdowns. While gas supplies for VWÂ’s plants are currently secured, the company has identified potential savings at its European sites to cut gas consumption by a “mid-double-digit percentage,” said Michael Heinemann, managing director of VWÂ’s power-plant unit. Still, the carmaker said it was concerned about the effect high gas prices could have on its suppliers.