2014 Porsche Cayenne on 2040-cars

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Panamera-bodied SUV spy photos suggest Porsche Cayenne Coupe is coming

WIth the current Porsche Cayenne approaching its seventh model year an all new version is on the way. But we also here that there will be a coupe-style variant similar to the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe following soon after. And yes, we gave up this semantic fight long ago - in this case "coupe" simply means a sportier, lower roofline similar to the style of an actual two-door. These spy photos give us some idea of what a Cayenne coupe could look like, although only in very rough form. That's because you're looking at a 2017 Porsche Panamera body stretched over a taller SUV platform. Even with the low resolution of these long-lens pictures, you can see the extensions grafted on below the doors and bumpers. Of course, with Porsche styling language more of less consistent across its entire model range the general look of the next Cayenne - or Cayenne Coupe - won't be much of a surprise. And we expect the interior to closely mimic what we've seen with the new Panamera. The SUV's true visual character will depend on the details, and we'll have to wait for the production version to see that. Related Video: Featured Gallery Porsche Cayenne Coupe Spy Photos Spy Photos Porsche SUV Performance porsche cayenne coupe

Chris Harris hits the track in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS

One of the wonderful things about Chris Harris on Cars is the enthusiasm that the host brings to the screen. Granted, it would be hard not to enjoy a day driving around in a supercar that you don't own. Still, Harris brings a sense that he knows how rare these opportunities are and relishes them. In his latest look at the two sides of the latest Porsche 911 GT3 RS, you can tell this guy is having a lot of fun. The GT3 RS is a 500-horsepower, track-focused weapon, but it's expected to drive to and away from the circuit after a day of laps. Therefore, Harris decides to evaluate the attributes of this Porsche in both environments. On the road, he sweeps an orange example over some beautifully, undulating German backroads but keeps things rather tidy. However, in the latter half of the video, he arrives at the Weissach test track for a go in a purple RS. There, he really lets the rear hang out.

Mercedes may be working on a new electric car dubbed 'Ecoluxe'

Automobile has a lengthy piece this month on how the four German mass-market luxury manufacturers each plan to go after Tesla with their own electric vehicles. It was written by Georg Kacher, the magazine's European bureau chief, and the English version came a month after he wrote the German-language original for Autobild. Tesla isn't exactly a threat to the Germans, but, according to the report, the Model S is planting the right kinds of seeds in niches that are important to the luxury players. The thinking is that - in addition to needed electric vehicles anyway for stricter US regulations - it's better to start designing the machinery now. The article posited Porsche's attack would rest on the coming Panamera platform, but a big hurdle would be battery placement. Unable to find one large space for a lithium-ion pack, engineers would instead put batteries everywhere they could, for a supposed tally of some "108 battery pouches" throughout the body. A few days after the Automobile piece, however, Porsche publicly said it had no intention of challenging the Model S, because the enthusiastic driving the brand is known for doesn't jive with useful range. In Kacher's retelling, Mercedes' plans are even more ambitious, supposedly taking aim at the Model S and the coming Model X. It would do this with an investment in excess of $2 billion in a program called "Ecoluxe" – Mercedes has no brand division akin to BMW's i and Audi's e-tron. The new brand would create a four-strong family of bespoke electric vehicles: a smaller platform with a wheelbase around 106 inches and a larger one with a wheelbase around 118 inches. In addition, the range would have "provisions for rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel steering." The numbers are impressive: seating for seven in the larger vehicles, both longer than 16 feet, front and rear storage areas, ratings of up to 610 horsepower and production capacity of 80,000 units per year. When would we see such creatures? Perhaps as soon as 2019. We do know that if Tesla can knock the Model X over the outfield fence, automakers are going to have to do something. We don't know what the chances are that Ecoluxe is Mercedes' first move - but such a plan could help explain the weird Mercedes concept spied in October.