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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.

2017 Porsche 718 Boxster: Old name, modern performance

Porsche set the bar pretty high when it attached the number 718 to the new Boxster. The original Porsche 718 Spyder from the late '50s and early '60s remains one of the most iconic in the company's history. Nameplates aside, the biggest change to the new 718 Boxster can be found under the rear deck. That's where Zuffenhausen has embraced the latest trend in downsizing and turbocharging. In place of the previous naturally-aspirated flat-sixes, the new 718 packs a 2.0-liter turbo boxer four good for 300 horsepower, or a 2.5-liter version with 350 hp. They're smaller than the engines they replace, but also more powerful – and offer a significant improvement in torque as well. The result is a 0-60 time as low as 4.0 seconds – in what's long been considered the "junior" Porsche sports car. Of course Porsche didn't just swap the engines out and call it a day. The styling has been updated inside and out, and there's new equipment as well. The finished product will go on sale in April – but that's in Europe where it's been unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show. It'll hit US dealers in June, and we can look forward to a 718 Cayman version with a fixed roof to follow soon as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Meet the new Porsche 718 Boxster and Boxster S

The rumors were mostly true. Porsche had already confirmed that the Boxster and Caymans would receive a "718" appended to their badges, in honor of their famous mid-engined racecar of the 1950s and '60s, but the mechanical details were left up in the air. We were almost certain both would be powered by turbocharged flat-fours of a couple of displacements and outputs, and now we can confirm that this is the case. Porsche has revealed the official specs for the 718 Boxster, which will go on sale in Europe this April. The biggest news concerns the flat-fours. The regular 718 Boxster will get a 2.0-liter, turbocharged flat-four producing 300 hp. The 718 Boxster S will get an extra half-liter of displacement and a variable-geometry turbocharger to produce a total of 350 hp. This represents a 35 hp gain over the current Boxster and Boxster S, respectively. Porsche also claims the turbo fours improve fuel economy by around 13 percent. By the NEDC European test cycle, the 2.0-liter gets roughly 34 mpg and the 2.5 gets 32 mpg, although rest assured that EPA test results will yield different numbers than the optimistic European test. Torque gains with the new boxer fours are significant. The 2.0-liter gains 74 lb-ft of torque for a total of 280 lb-ft from 1,950 to 4,500 RPM. The 2.5 gains less, 43 lb-ft, for a total of 309 lb-ft over the same rev range. The extra torque and wide torque band make the 718 Boxster quicker to 60 mph, at least when equipped with the PDK gearbox and the Sport Chrono Package. The 2.0-liter car does the deed in 4.5 seconds, a 0.7-second improvement, and the 2.5-liter car is claimed to hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, a 0.5-second improvement. 2016 Porsche 718 Boxster View 11 Photos Inside, a new dash houses the latest Porsche Communication Management infotainment system with a touchscreen, included on all 718 Boxsters as standard – although nav is an optional extra. The buttonless, capacitive-touch center stack we just spied on the next Panamera does not make it inside the 718 Boxster, which makes do with a very similar button layout to the current car. Both cars will come with a six-speed manual as standard, which is great news, and a PDK will be optional for both. Porsche also claims to have made the electrically-assisted steering more direct, and retuned the suspension. An optional PASM package lowers the car by 0.4 inches while providing the benefits of active dampers. From a styling standpoint, this is an evolution of the current theme.