Volkswagen AG reached terms with Porsche SE to acquire a controlling stake in the iconic sports carmaker. The Persian Gulf State of Qatar is also part of the deal in a new VW-Porsche company, walking away with 10% of Porsche, as well as stock options Porsche holds in VW, with an eventual share in the company of 20%. Volkswagen… Read the rest

Let the Porsche saga be a lesson to all independent companies getting a bit cocky about their abilities. Porsche had been plotting to take over Volkswagen in a bid to “guarantee access to future platforms” and economies of scale. Porsche slowly ratcheted up their share in the company until they crossed the 50% barrier. No one seemed to think… Read the rest

The global economic crisis has taken its toll on virtually every major automaker around the globe but the effects have varied significantly between firms. General Motors’ financial predicament has been well documented, with the ailing Detroit-based firm still recovering from . Toyota, too, has been hit hard by the crisis, with the usually ..

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Volkswagen and Porsche have both agreed on details to merge the sports car maker into Europe’s largest automaker. Porsche would be the 10th brand to join Volkswagen Group, which already includes brands such as Audi, Bentley, Skoda and Seat. Volkswagen is set to purchase a stake of up to 49 percent in Porsche AG, creating what it calls an… Read the rest

The Volkswagen Touareg has achieved only modest sales since its launch in 2003, mostly because of its lack of seven-seater capability and premium price tag compared with many of its Japanese rivals. The second-generation model is now in the works and will hopefully address many of the issues of the current version. Due to be launched in late …… Read the rest

BMW has enjoyed some success with its CSL range of stripped out ready-to-race M3s and Mercedes-Benz has delivered several of its own lightweight Black Series model. That leaves the third major German luxury automaker, Audi , which will soon offer uprated sports versions of its regular production models. Speaking at a recent press event …

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Like the next-gen VW Touareg, the Cayenne will be getting smaller and lighter. We can’t say we’re the biggest fans of Porsche’s decision to charge into the truck segment, but if you actually like driving and absolutely need to have an SUV—and can afford it—the Cayenne is among your few choices. Co-developed with Volkswagen, the first-gen Cayenne has two… Read the rest

In anticipation of our upcoming review of the retrofied 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible, we decided to dig through our archives for coverage of some other legendary Shelby automobiles. Here, we focus on the 1967 GT500 coupe, a 428-cubic-inch powerhouse that helped usher in the big-block era of Shelby Mustangs. Download the PDF More archive stories are available… Read the rest

Prominent umlaut-junkies barked today that Volkswagen and Porsche have finally agreed on a merger, making Porsche the tenth member of the VW family in a partnership that could resurrect the Auto Union name. VW is reportedly set to buy a stake of up to 49 percent in Porsche, although VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has given assurances that Porsche would… Read the rest

Filed under: Hybrid , Volkswagen , Spy Shots Back in February, Volkswagen announced it would introduce a new hybrid version of its Touareg SUV in late 2010. This being the case, it’s not surprising that the German automaker would be caught testing its new fuel-saving ‘ute out in the hot, barren stretches of a U.S. desert. VW’s hybrid hardware… Read the rest