Cars

How do you make your car sound like a Porsche 911 turbo?

You buy one.

The news of Porsche increasing its stake in Volkswagen to 30.9 percent didn’t come as a surprise at all. Well basically since this is exactly what the automotive industry was expecting in the first place.

Although it may be hard to believe that such increase of stake will not lead to a takeover but Porsche stressed that it plans to defend Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker and producer of quality VW motor mount —from any possible influence from hedge funds and buyout groups.

It can be remembered that the last time that Porsche had increased its stake in Volkswagen it stated that it is simply trying to guard its investment. And just recently the knight-in-shining 911 Carerra has again raised its stakes to defend Volkswagen. But the main question now is: Does Volkswagen really needs such guarding? Or is it Porsche’s way of slowly taking over Volkswagen?

Now that Porsche has purchased an additional stake at Volkswagen it is to be expected that Volkswagen chairman, Ferdinand Piech whose family controls Porsche will be able to increase his dominance at Volkswagen. Come to think of it starting from the first time that Porsche bought a stake in Volkswagen in the year 2005, Piech has gained enough power which enables him to place Porsche executives on the board and oust the former chief executive to replace him with his favorite protégée Martin Winterkorn.

German politicians and family controlled companies have protested against the increased takeovers by venture firms which the German labor minister Franz Muntefering called as asset-stripping locusts.

Porsche is also offering €100.92 an ordinary share for the rests of the company, 14 percent below the close in Frankfurt on Friday which values Volkswagen at €42.7 billion. German securities regulators will determine the minimum offer for VW’s preferred shares.

Last Monday, shares of Volkswagen decline by €3.75 and closes at €113.95 in Frankfurt. On the other hand Porsche increased by €6.52 to close at €1,121.45.

According to a statement released by the Porsche last Monday, the company has exercised its purchase option to raise its holdings from 27.3 percent to 30.9 percent. Furthermore it plans to complete the acquisition of the shares on Wednesday. It should be noted that according to the German Law an investor is required to make a takeover offer to all shareholders once its holdings surpass the 30 percent ceiling.

The benefit that Porsche obtained from bidding is the freedom to make Future Volkswagen stake purchases whenever it sees fit. After Porsche is through making its minimum legal bids to all shareholders, German sports car manufacturer will no longer be required by law to present further purchase offers to all stakeholders.

Another analyst at Morgan Stanley in London, Adam Jonas said, “Piëch and Wiedeking are looking at this as a 1,000-year investment. This isn’t a hedge fund making a trading investment that they’ll get rid of in a few years.”

Benjamin Hudson
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/porsche-to-takeover-of-volkswagen-soon-124702.html

Porsche majority stockholder of Volkswagen and recipient of quality Volkswagen auto components such as VW oxygen sensors—have denied recently the accusations that it has used the Cayenne V6 exclusivity to boost profits.

The company was very pleased with its entry-level version of the Cayenne off-roader. Unfortunately the Volkswagen-powered V6 variant was not able to make it at the launching of the updated Cayenne.

The new Cayenne that was recently presented to the media in North-Eastern Victoria is part of a mid-life upgrade for the Cayenne large four-wheel drive which was first launched in the mid of 2003. The update that includes some major styling and mechanical modifications were not only employed on the new Cayenne but across the range.

The model range has increased from two to three and currently includes the entry-level Cayenne V6 with a price tag of $97,400. It’s the first under $100,000 new Porsche since the last 944 coupe created by the German sports car manufacturer in 1986.

The Cayenne Turbo (V8) and the Cayenne S (V8) both have bigger engines and delivers more power but despite the engine size, Porsche claims that these two Cayenne models deliver fuel economy of up to 15 percent. Aside from that, the styling changes were also made to a minimal just enough to freshen the two-toned SUV’s look and improves its aerodynamic performance.

Last 2004 the Cayenne sales reached only 562 but unfortunately for Porsche four-door by the year 2005 its sales plunge to 414 and further decline in 2006 at 332 units sold. But Porsche Cars Australia managing director Michael Winkler is optimistic that the new looks of the Cayenne plus the introduction of the V6 engine would finally help the range to recover.

Winkler also rebuts reports that suggest that a Porsche is slower than a fleet Falcon. He said that such damaging reports can put the Porsche brand in a bad light. The report that Winkler is pointing at the report found on the enthusiast magazines that claimed they have timed a Falcon and a Cayenne, and found out that the Falcon can reach 100km/h in less than 8 seconds while the Cayenne V6 is claimed to take 8.5 seconds.

BMW also boasts of a 0 to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds performance time delivered by its X5 3.0 liter engine, which they claimed is 0.4 sec faster than Porsche. Even the diesel X5 is just 0.1 seconds off the Cayenne’s pace.

There was no way for the Australian media to verify whether the Cayenne V6 is really the fastest car in its class or whether it possess the level of performance and exclusivity that buyers expect since the Cayenne V6 was not present at the media launch. Porsche Cars Australia took six cars to Australia for the said launch and not one of them was a Cayenne V6—all were V8 models.

Winkler also denies reports that the Cayenne V6 will share the 3.6 liter V6 engine with a $20,000 cheaper Volkswagen Touareg together with the $84,900 aUDI q7 would not help the Cayenne at all. He said, “No, I don’t think they would know this. Remember, too, our engine is more powerful [by just 7kW] and has been engineered to suit the character and performance Porsche buyers expect.”

Porsche is expecting that the V6 variant to increase by at least 30 percent the demand for Cayenne. Winkler told drive.com.au in an interview that in case demand surpasses such target, Porsche would take steps to tighten supply.

Benjamin Hudson
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/porsche-refuse-to-be-defeated-by-ford-holden-124708.html

i just bought a porsche cayman and i want to know what kind of performance parts i can buy. like what muffler or exhaust tip etc. so what should i buy and how much horse power would each give me?

nothing

The increase of Porsche’s stake from 27.3 percent to 30.9 percent at Volkswagen gives the German sports car manufacturer the right to a takeover bid as required by the German law.

Luckily for Porsche, Volkswagen shares dropped by 4 percent to 113.21 euros ($150.91) in Frankfurt on Monday afternoon while the German sports car maker’s share rose by 0.7 percent to 1,123 euros ($1,497). And as expected of Porsche is has cleverly made the minimum offering legally allowed of 109.20 euros (145.60) for each common share and 63 euros ($84) for each preferred share.

Porsche has already expected it that few investors would agree on their offered price. After the takeover bid is complete it is probable that Porsche will continue to increase its stakes in Volkswagen surpassing its present owned shares of 30.9 percent. However, if it plans to make another bid for VW it will have to exceed 50 percent stakes.

What Porsche has done can be considered a creative way of going around the German corporate law but it did not do it simply because it wants to gain control of Volkswagen. Believe it or not the German sports car maker just wants to protect Europe’s largest automaker from any untoward takeover by hostile foreign investors. And with the 30.9 percent owned stake of Porsche combined with the 20.26 percent owned shares of Lower Saxony totaling to 51.4 percent of shares at Volkswagen makes these two shareholders more effective in protecting the company from any investors who may want to take control of the Wolfsburg-based automaker.

Aside from protecting Volkswagen, Lower Saxony has also assured that the jobs of tens of thousands of its residents who worked for VW are safe. Porsche on the other hand, secures an essential source of technology in which it has the power to control costs. Like for instance the chassis used for Porsche Cayenne down to say VW spark plug wires that are used for the mid-size luxury sports utility vehicle are developed in partnership with Volkswagen.

Volkswagen said in a statement that it welcomed the step by Porsche to increase its take and explained that a “stable shareholder structure” is vital to the continuous success of the company. According to one unnamed source inside Volkswagen, “We are protected against further other approaches maybe by other investors which could break up the company.”

Analysts are also expecting for Porsche to gradually increase its stake in Volkswagen over the next few years in line with the goals of Porsche’s main shareholder and chairman, Ferdinand Piech.

Benjamin Hudson
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/porsche-slowly-taking-over-of-volkswagen-126268.html

Porsche AG announced last Monday it had moved to increase its stake in Volkswagen to nearly 31 percent. The decision is aimed at protecting Europe’s largest car maker from any hostile takeovers.

The move is long expected by analysts in the industry. This is because of the mandatory takeover offer under the laws of Germany. Porsche, a Stuttgart-based automaker, said it paid 100.62 euros ($134.10) a share and raised its stake in the Volkswagen by 3.6 percent. “The completion of the share acquisition is expected to take place on Wednesday,” Porsche said in a statement.

In Frankfurt, the shares of Porsche rose by 2.5 percent to 1,143 euros ($1,523.28) while VW shares fell nearly 3.8 percent to 113.91 euros ($151.81). Porsche’s supervisory board agreed to the plan on Saturday in part to protect Volkswagen from foreign rivals and hedge funds. Volkswagen, a Wolfsburg-based automaker and currently the world’s fourth largest car manufacturer, is famed for its iconic vehicles with distinct body parts. Famous vehicle models include the Beetle, Jetta, Golf, Rabbit and the Polo.

But Porsche has said that it does not expect the mandatory takeover offer its move triggered to be successful because it is offering only the legal minimum price, which is below the current market price. The German sports car manufacturer is VW’s largest shareholder. It is followed by the German state of Lower Saxony which holds 20.3 percent.

Porsche said that it was seeking the larger stake as a response to fears that European Union judges will force the German government to repeal its law blocking a foreign takeover of Volkswagen, which is looked to as both an industrial powerhouse and a major employer. It was reported that EU took Germany to court over the issue in 2005. According to a legal official, EU may decide against Germany. The full judgment to that effect is expected to come later this year.

Porsche said it assumed “that the European Court of Justice would confirm the invalidity of the VW law and so cause the German government to change or abolish this law.” The German automaker also intends to create a new holding company that will make Porsche AG a wholly owned subsidiary of the new company, which will also oversee the stake in Volkswagen. However, VW will remain independent.

Analysts in the industry spotted the rationale for Porsche’s move but said it could hurt the company in the long run. “For Porsche shareholders, the acquisition of more stock in VW represents a further step in the wrong direction as far as earnings quality is concerned, in our view,” said analyst Stephen Cheetham at Sanford Bernstein Ltd.

Cheetham furthermore added, “The more of VW Porsche owns, the less attractive it becomes to investors attracted by its superior growth and returns: If Porsche winds up owning a majority stake in VW, we would expect the investment characteristics of VW to dominate.”

Correy Putton
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/porsche-to-raise-vw-stake-to-31-123906.html

Hi have just bought a 944 porsche and i also bought a cd player, however i have no idea where the wires are for me to connect it, i have looked underneath the dashboard and cannot figure out where to connect it.
any help please?

Did you buy a head unit or a disc changer? I’m not sure about 85 and earlier but 85.5 and newer, pull the old radio and detach the harness. The speaker connections run to an external fade switch on the right hand side below the little compartment. They are wired front and back. I don’t know where they come out of the switch as I just cut the ends off and left the switch in line. The connectors for the speakers have a spade and a post, one flat and one round prong sticking out. If its a head unit, everything you need is behind the old radio, its just a matter finding the wires you need. Also if your car is a 85.5 or newer, you have a powered antenna in your windshield, you’ll need to hook that up to probably one of the blue wires from your head unit or you’ll get no radio reception. Its not a bad idea to have a volt meter when you’re hooking it up and either pull the fuses or disconnect the battery so you don’t short anything out.

Hi have just bought a 944 porsche and i also bought a cd player, however i have no idea where the wires are for me to connect it, i have looked underneath the dashboard and cannot figure out where to connect it.
any help please?

Did you buy a head unit or a disc changer? I’m not sure about 85 and earlier but 85.5 and newer, pull the old radio and detach the harness. The speaker connections run to an external fade switch on the right hand side below the little compartment. They are wired front and back. I don’t know where they come out of the switch as I just cut the ends off and left the switch in line. The connectors for the speakers have a spade and a post, one flat and one round prong sticking out. If its a head unit, everything you need is behind the old radio, its just a matter finding the wires you need. Also if your car is a 85.5 or newer, you have a powered antenna in your windshield, you’ll need to hook that up to probably one of the blue wires from your head unit or you’ll get no radio reception. Its not a bad idea to have a volt meter when you’re hooking it up and either pull the fuses or disconnect the battery so you don’t short anything out.

The Porsche 911 was a series of cars that made history for the great Porsche AG car manufacturers. The Porsche was first produced in 1964, but it was recurrently improved and made more competitive and better looking.
There are several models of 911 that Porsche has to offer: the 911 Carrera, the 911 Carrera S, the 911Carrera Cabriolet, the 911 Targa, 911 Turbo, the 911 GT3 RS, to name but a few.

Basically, the Porsche 911, which is pronounced nine eleven, is a rear engined car and it has a 2-door coupe body style. It is available also in 2-door Convertible or 2-door Targa.

The transmission of the nine eleven is in 4-5 automatic speeds or 5-6 speeds if you prefer the manual handling. The transmission is helped by the dual-mass flywheel and the hydraulic clutch, which is present at the majority of the Porsche 911 newer models. The technology used in almost all models of Porsche 911 is the intelligent all wheel drive, which transfers the power to the road.

Most 911s are endowed with PSM Plus system (Porsche Stability Management), helping the vigorous braking system to make you feel safe at all times, no matter what speed you’re in. this PSM system gives the models a great stability.

The braking system of the most recent models is based on the PCCB, which means Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake. There is also the anti lock braking system.
There are front airbags, head and thorax airbags as well. Plus, the passengers can feel safe due to the airbags that are placed for them in the latest models.
The interior of the car is covered in leather.
The 911s feature also a standard exterior and an interior alarm, which makes it difficult for burglar to even come close to this sturdy car.

The air conditioning is a standard feature of Porches, having an automatic climate control with carbon filters.

The consumption of a Porsche of 911 series is on average of 17mpg in the city and approximately 25 mpg on the highway.

If you like speed, the 911s are probably what you are looking for. The top speed that can be reached is of 180 mph!

Besides being a very popular sports car, the Porsche 911 series cars made it to famous races as well, being very strong and highly suitable for competitions of great prestige.

The cost of a 911 varies according to the model, but all in all, the 911 series qualifies in the class of expensive cars. The price range starts from $72,000 and can go up till $124,000.

However, the Porsche 911 will offer you all the features you need in a sports car being a classic series with a great tradition combined with state of the art improvements that will simply convince you to adore the nine eleven.

Craig Rad
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/porsche-911-strikes-again-in-2007-126544.html

I don’t know the history of Porsche that well,but a Cayman with 300HP or so cost as much as a BMW M3 with 414HP.

Is it the history of the company that makes it expensive or the material? Resell value?

In short, because cars are not sold on a dollar/horsepower basis. There are a wide variety of factors that figure into any car’s price point, for a performance car, how well it performs will be a major factor… but again, horsepower is a measure of one characteristic that affects performance, it is not a measure of performance.

Consider the following cars, all near the same price point:
Porsche Cayman S = ~$200/hp
BMW M3 = $160/hp
Cheverolet Corvette Z06 = ~$140/hp
Lotus Exige S240 = ~$275/hp
Radical SR4 = ~$360/hp

Now… in terms of pure performance, which do you think is the fastest? Yes, it’s the ringer of the bunch. The Radical would completely destroy any of the above dispite having less than half the horsepower of the BMW. The Exige, the Corvette, and the Cayman will also all enjoy an advantage over the heavier BMW around a track – the BMW is about 700 pounds heavier than the Porsche… and more than 1700 pounds heavier than the Lotus… and more than a ton heavier than the Radical; in short, it needs the extra power just to keep up!

But just as horsepower/dollar isn’t the only criteria of a car, most will not go strictly by performance/dollar. Which is why you would most likely not even consider the Radical (aside from it not being street legal in most countries). The BMW is the only car I mention here with a back seat. And while the spartan Lotus could make any car look luxurious, the BMW still looks good against most other cars in this department.

And while the Corvette offers ALOT for the money, it will unfortunately never match the build quality of the Porsche or the BMW, even though it will offer more performance/dollar.

So the end result of all of this? When all is considered, the cars all offer a different set of strengths for their price… which of those strengths mean the most will help determine which makes the most sense for you. But if it’s strictly horsepower/dollar, you will probably want to look to someplace other than Germany, and if it’s strictly performance/dollar, again, not so good (though in the last one, the Cayman will more than stack up against the more powerful BMW).