Subaru's boxer engine gets biggest overhaul since 1989

Subaru said its next-generation, horizontally opposed engine will debut this year in the Forester and deliver a 10 percent boost in fuel economy. The four-cylinder engine, which will come in displacements of either 2.0 or 2.5 liters, is the first major overhaul of the brand's signature boxer power plant in 21 years, Subaru's Japanese parent company Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. said.

The future is cloudy

Last night before CES opened here in Las Vegas we met the principals of a start-up company called Driver Cloud. They said they had an idea about using the cloud to operate a package delivery service the same way other sites do ride sharing – you'd send out a notice on their network that you needed a package delivered and a bonded, licensed Driver Cloud truck owner would deliver it for you for a fee. The service, called Gofr, would work in conjunction with Driver Cloud's ride sharing component, called Chofr.

Porsche plans four-door Panamera convertible

A series of European and U.S. patent applications obtained by AutoWeek show that Porsche remains committed to building a four-door convertible version of its flagship Panamera, despite recent comments from Zuffenhausen insiders indicating the car had been canceled. The new car, depicted in official drawings that accompany the latest Porsche patent applications filed in February, eschews the two-door route taken by all of its upmarket rivals for a four-door body.