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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.

Porsche calling in two Cayennes

We regularly see recalls addressing all manner of problems (or potential problems) affecting any number of vehicles: hundreds, thousands, even millions. Some are too small to bother reporting, but once in a while one comes along that's so ridiculously small that we couldn't pass it over. Like this latest one from Porsche. "Due to a manufacturing error," says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the notice below, "the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque." The recall affects the 2015 Cayenne... but just how many of them, you ask? Two. Not two hundred, not two thousand, but two: one Cayenne Diesel and one Cayenne S, manufactured between November 26 and... November 27, 2014. That very well might make this the most methodically German recall in the history of recalls. If you happen to be the owner of one of those two vehicles, expect to hear from Porsche with instructions to bring your Cayenne in to have the suspension re-aligned and the screws tightened. RECALL Subject : Front and Rear Alignment may be Incorrect Report Receipt Date: DEC 29, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V824000 Component(s): SUSPENSION Potential Number of Units Affected: 2 Manufacturer: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S vehicles manufactured November 26, 2014, to November 27, 2014. Due to a manufacturing error, the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque. CONSEQUENCE: If the suspension alignment was incorrectly performed, vehicle handling could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will perform a front and rear suspension alignment, and check the screw connections for the proper torque, retightening as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification date. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AF04. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Volkswagen profit jumps as it warns of a cooling auto market

FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen says its profits jumped 44% in the third quarter thanks to a more profitable mix of vehicles in its lineup but warned that global car markets are slowing more than expected and lowered its forecast for annual sales. After-tax profit rose to $4.42 billion (3.98 billion euros) as revenues rose 11% to $68.27 billion (61.42 billion euros). The sales margin of 7.8% exceeded the goal of 6.5-7.5% as vehicles bringing higher profits took a larger share of sales. The Wolfsburg-based automaker pointed to the headwinds facing the industry by saying that it expects "vehicle markets will contract faster than previously anticipated in many regions of the world." It said sales would be "on a level" with last year's record of 10.8 million vehicles. Previously it had expected a slight increase. The company said its profits would be in the lower end of its forecast range. Global automakers are facing a slowdown in sales amid disputes over trade and from pressure in the European Union and China to develop and sell low-emission vehicles that require heavy investment in new technology. Ford and Renault have issued profit warnings in recent days, while Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars, lost money in the second quarter and is expected to outline a cost-cutting strategy for investors on Nov. 14. Volkswagen is leading the push into electric vehicles in Europe by launching its ID.3 battery-powered compact car at prices it says will make zero local emission vehicles a mass phenomenon. The company was able to increase earnings in the quarter despite an 18% rise in spending on research and development.