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Volkswagen hits back, weighs making a bid for Porsche

Volkswagen is considering an audacious reverse-takeover bid for its majority shareholder, Porsche, in a twist in the drawn-out struggle for control between the two German carmakers. The Volkswagen Group's supervisory board is said to be weighing the possibility of purchasing Porsche AG, in a move that would relieve its holding company, Porsche SE, of massive debt that industry analysts suggest the company may not be able to fund should the world's financial crisis drag on well into 2010--a scenario put forward this week by the International Monetary Fund. The secret plan emerged as shareholders were set to convene at Volkswagen's annual meeting on Thursday, and it comes after Porsche revealed that it is carrying some 9 billion euros ($11.73 billion) in debt, most of it owing to interest on loans taken out to purchase its 50.8 percent stake in VW.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

You're looking at Aston Martin's new 200mph sports car: the V12 Vantage S. Replacing the now-discontinued standard V12 Vantage, the S gets a new, more powerful engine, and a host of visual tweaks. It'll cost around £150,000 and go on sale in late 2013.

One Lap of the Web: A Miata ninja, classic race cars and the world's most vintage-car-friendly city

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- If you (or your children) love the smartphone and tablet app Fruit Ninja, you will get a kick out of Motor Authority's photo gallery from the Donington Historic Festival.