2005 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Porsche not responsible for Paul Walker and Roger Rodas crash

A US District Court judge has found that Porsche wasn't responsible for the Carrera GT crash that killed Roger Rodas and actor Paul Walker, according to The Detroit News citing the Associated Press. Rodas' widow, Kristine, brought the lawsuit against the German automaker, but the court ruled there was a lack of evidence for her case. "Plaintiff has provided no competent evidence that Rodas' death occurred as a result of any wrongdoing on the part of defendant," US District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled, according to the AP. Rodas' lawyer pledged to appeal the decision. Rodas' lawsuit asserted that the Carrera GT's right rear suspension failed and also cited the Porsche's lack of a proper fuel cell or a crash cage as factors. However, the judge didn't see any evidence for the suspension failure. He also criticized the expert for Rodas' side for analyzing tire marks from over a month after the crash rather than the photos from right after the incident, the AP reports. A 2014 investigation by the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department blamed unsafe speed as the fatal accident's cause. The investigators reported that the Carrera GT was doing between 80 and 93 miles per hour when the crash happened. They also found nothing mechanically wrong with the supercar but did discover that the tires were over nine years old. The LA County Coroner ruled that both deaths were accidents. According to the AP, the lawsuits from Walker's daughter and his father against Porsche are still pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, and the district court ruling doesn't affect them. In each case, Porsche denied being at fault and cited the sheriff's investigation as support for that argument. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volkswagen reportedly to name Matthias Muller CEO

Porsche chief executive officer Matthias Muller is expected to be named CEO of Volkswagen AG, the Wall Street Journal and other sources reported Thursday morning. Muller, 62, has led Porsche since Oct. 1, 2010, and jumpstarted the sports-car brand's expansion around the world. He replaces Martin Winkerkorn, who stepped down Wednesday amid the company's worsening diesel scandal. At least three more executives are also expected to be fired, including Volkswagen's US chief and the heads of Audi and Porsche research and development. Both brands are divisions of VW. A US spokesman wouldn't confirm the reports. An official announcement is expected at VW's board meeting on Friday. Muller's ascension caps a stunning week of turmoil for Volkswagen, which manipulated software to make its diesel-powered vehicles appear cleaner during testing that they are in real-world driving. The charges were revealed last week by the EPA, which cited the work of researchers at West Virginia University. About 482,000 vehicles are affected in the United States, which will be subject to recall, and VW estimates about 11 million of its vehicles around the world have the rigged software. The well-regarded Muller was viewed as a front-runner for the job even before Winterkorn stepped down. Before helming Porsche, he oversaw all vehicle projects globally for VW from 2007-2010. Previously, he was in charge of the Audi and Lamborghini product lines, and earlier in his career was responsible for the Audi A3 program in the 1990s. He joined Audi in 1977. He's trained as a toolmaker and studied information technology in Munich. His last name is sometimes spelled Mueller in English. Muller faces immediate challenges as he takes over VW's sprawling 78-year-old industrial empire, including recalls and regulatory actions around the world. In the US alone, the company faces a fine of up to $18 billion. VW, an industrial symbol of Germany, is also far larger than any unit Muller has run in his career. While Porsche sold 189,849 vehicles in 2014 globally, it's one of many VW brands. Collectively they sold 5.04 million vehicles through the first six months of this year, making Volkswagen the world's largest automaker. Related Video:

Xcar considers the Porsche 911 GT3's PDK

Porsche ruffled some feathers when it unveiled the latest 911 GT3 a couple of years ago with a dual-clutch transmission instead of an old-school manual. The rationale was (and remains) that the PDK makes the enthusiast's Elfen faster than it would be with a stick. The purists scoffed, but Zuffenhausen held firm – and even did the same with the even more hardcore GT3 RS. In its latest video, the boys at Xcar set out to find out if the GT3 with its fancy automated gearbox is as good as the previous model (or as good as the current model could be) with a manual – and took in some of the track toy's other trickery while they were at it. Check out the video above to find out what conclusion they reached.