Porsche 911 / 964 Engine Carrier on 2040-parts.com

Porsche Panamera designer focused on rear-seat passengers

There's no mistaking it for anything but a Porsche, but with four doors and four full seats, the Panamera is like no previous Porsche. Styled by a team of in-house designers under the direction of Michael Mauer, the Panamera is 195.7 inches long, 76.0 inches wide and 55.8 inches tall--making it slightly shorter but wider and lower than the Maserati Quattroporte, with which it shares a coupelike profile. As with all such silhouettes, "the real challenge is giving the rear-seat passengers enough headroom," says Mauer.

Porsche shows Cayenne can do off-road – just like the new Range Rover Sport

Porsche shows the new Cayenne S Diesel can do off-road The Porsche Cayenne has come in for some stick since it first arrived a decade ago as the first SUV from Porsche. The world declared the Cayenne too ugly to look at – well, that was the opinion of a certain Mr Clarkson – but anyone who’s lived with a Cayenne will know just how focused it is; it feels like a high-riding M5 to drive and, despite the misconception that sporty SUVs don’t do off-road, it’s remarkably capable when the going gets tough. We’re sure it’s just a coincidence that the 2013 Porsche Performance Drive – from Chisinau to Bratislava – is taking place just after the new Range Rover Sport arrived as a truly capable sporty SUV – with its Land Rover off-road credentials still intact – but the event has given Porsche the chance to show the new Cayenne S Diesel can also do off-road with aplomb.

Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid concept car (2012) first pics

Volvo will showcase its latest plug-in hybrid technology in the new 2012 XC60 Plug-in Hybrid concept car at next week's Detroit auto show. The Swedes have been developing a range of plug-in hybrid cars, using both petrol and diesel. The hybridised V60 which goes on sale in Europe later in 2012 uses diesel, whereas the new SUV drinks from the green pump.