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Porsche 911 buyers flock to rare 24-month leases

Porsche is pushing 24-month leases for its 911 and is running a six-month lease pull-ahead incentive on all of its sports cars to offset a shortage of low-mileage used cars. This year, 22 percent of all 911 lessees have taken 24-month contracts rather than 36-month deals, says Michael Bartsch, COO of Porsche Cars North America. That compares with 10 percent before the push.

Mazda Kazamai preview

As we reported in June, Mazda has now confirmed it will unveil a compact crossover vehicle concept at the Moscow International Automobile Salon on 26 August. Called the Kazamai, which means "swirling crosswinds" in Japanese, the new vehicle is the sixth concept to employ Mazda's evolving 'Nagare' design language. The car's lines, inspired by crosswinds in nature, are claimed to evoke visual lightness, while its aerodynamic proportions accentuated by its bold front wheelarches and sleek roof line gives the design an emotional appeal.

One-off Ferrari 458 pays tribute to Niki Lauda

One-off Ferrari 458 pays tribute to Niki Lauda Younger readers might not see the connection between Ferrari and Niki Lauda; after all, Niki Lauda is Chairman of the Mercedes F1 team, not Ferrari. But back in the 1970s, Niki Lauda was the Prince of the Ferrari F1 team, notching up driver titles in 1975 and 1977 in a Ferrari (and suffering horrific burns at the Nurburgring in 1975). Although Lauda left Ferrari  in 1977 on less than good terms, the Ron Howard tribute film to the ’70s battle between Lauda and James Hunt – Rush – has obviously had an impact on one of Ferrari’s wealthier clients, who has commissioned Ferrari’s Tailor Made Programme to create a Ferrari 458 dedicated to Niki Lauda.