1999 Porche Boxster 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

If your TV rats you out, what about your car?

Vizio, the TV manufacturer, recently had to pay a $2.2-million fine to the FTC recently because it was discovered that its sets were collecting data about viewers' watching habits and then using the information for its own benefit. Last year, it was revealed the Samsung smart TVs were busy listening to what was being said, even if the conversations in question had absolutely nothing with switching the channel away from the Matt LeBlanc Top Gear. Nowadays, auto manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other pointing out that they offer Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. And more recent phenomenon are announcements—from companies including Ford and Hyundai—that they are offering Amazon Alexa capabilities. You talk. It listens. In late January, General Motors said it is releasing a next-generation infotainment software development kit (NGI SDK) to software developers to write apps for GM cars. The NGI SDK includes native Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow access to expected things - like oil life and tire pressure and whether lightbulbs are burned out - but unexpected things, as well. Like the presence of passengers in the vehicle. When your TV set is ratting you out, isn't it likely that your car will? In making the announcement of the NGI SDK, GM pointed out that it has the largest connected fleet on the road, some 12-million vehicles. The company also noted: "From 2015 to 2016, GM has seen data usage by customers increase nearly 200 percent. Mobile app use for GM vehicles also hit an all-time high in 2016, with more than 225 million interactions." Is it not plausible that they know more those interactions than simply the number of them? GM's privacy agreement is like most privacy policies, which boils down to: You use it (the device, software, etc.), you potentially give up a portion of your privacy. While on the subject of apps, coincident with this year's CES, Subaru announced that it has added eight cloud-based apps to the STARLINK multimedia system in the 2017 Impreza. Some are familiar, like Yelp. Some are a bit narrow in focus, like eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatchers. And one ought to give a bit of pause: RightTrack. According to Subaru, "RightTrack Test Drive from Liberty Mutual Insurance monitors driving habits and provides customers with tips on driving safer to help lower their insurance rates and improve their safe driving skills." Or said more simply: You drive. It watches.

Preserving automotive history costs big bucks

$1.8 million is spent each year to maintain GM's fleet of 600 production and concept cars.
When at least two of the Detroit Three were on the verge of death a few years back, one of the tough questions that was asked of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler execs - outside of why execs were still taking private planes to meetings - was why each company maintained huge archives of old production and concept vehicles. GM, for example, had an 1,100-vehicle collection when talk of a federal bailout began.