Volkswagen labor union chief Bernd Osterloh has called out Porsche's CEO for holding up a merger between the two German automakers: "Together, one could do a whole lot of more things if [Wendelin] Wiedeking would end his ego trip." Osterloh believes Wiedeking is standing in the way of a tie-up with VW, and his repeated thrusts and parries are only making things difficult for both companies.

Osterloh further accused the Porsche head of being "part of the problem and not part of the solution," claiming that he has "absolutely no more trust in the current board of Porsche." Although Porsche and VW may benefit from coming closer together, it is also clear that Porsche needs VW more than the other way around. Should the two bickering automakers eventually manage to come to terms, however, the powerful union leader has one last barb to throw: "Wiedeking isn't running our company, and he never will."

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: David Hecker/Getty]

Porsche has clearly gotten itself in way too deep in its attempt to take over control of Volkswagen, and now it's scrambling to find a way to relieve some of its crushing debt load. In addition to the possible €5 billion investment (nearly $7 billion USD) from Qatar, Reuters is reporting that Porsche's board is going to consider selling part of its car business to Volkswagen. VW AG has proposed a full merger, a plan that Porsche is resisting. Instead, it could sell them a 49% stake in Porsche AG, the car business.

Ironically, this whole ordeal began as Porsche tried to ensure that it retained access to Volkswagen systems and future components so that it could stay independent. Now, Porsche looks to be trying to avoid being subsumed into the company once pegged as its savior. Supervisory board Chairman Wolfgang Porsche has called a special meeting of the board for July 23 to discuss the company's options.

[Source: Reuters | Image: Nigel Treblin/Getty]

While the rest of us are enjoying the summer, those working in the fashion industry at any level are already gearing up for the winter wonderland around the corner. So Porsche Design – the lucrative merchandising division – has released its latest Sport collection for the Fall and Winter seasons.

Made in collaboration with sportswear giant Adidas, the latest Porsche Design collection includes lines for sailing, golf, tennis, running and skiing, but of course, we cut straight to the good stuff: the driving gear, including a fresh assortment of driving shoes, gloves, scarves, sweatshirts, jackets and more. Naturally, they're all exquisitely designed, meticulously crafted and eager to keep you warm on a drive through the Alps. Follow the jump for the full press release and check out the images of the driving gear in the gallery below.

Camera phones are turning into quite an asset in this business, as readers of various automotive news sites across the interwebs and around the world have turned into legions of spy photographers. In this instance, one such reader-turned-paparazzo (apparently in Italy, no less) caught on video what appears to be some sort of Porsche Cayman Shooting Brake test mule.

Looking something like the product of a one-night-stand between said Porsche and either a Volvo C30 or an original BMW Z3-based M Coupe, the supposed mule is wearing all black, but apart from that, it appears to be undisguised. Of course, this could be a one-off made by someone with no official connection to Porsche (Rinspeed, anyone?), but then again, it could be a harbinger of a model to come. What do you make of it? Follow the link to view the spy video and voice your opinion in our comments section below. Thanks for the tip, Bill!

[Source: Top Gear]

If you want a powerful, fast Porsche Cayenne, Stuttgart has no shortage of choices on offer, topping out with the mental 550 horsepower Turbo S. Of course, there are plenty of aftermarket tuners willing to take the unreasonable up to downright silly proportions, but if you were looking for power and speed without sacrificing too much fuel, for the most part you were advised to look elsewhere. After all, a big SUV isn't exactly the ideal platform for either. But then along comes Porsche tuner extraordinaire Techart to show you the way with its own custom Porsche Cayenne Diesel.

Boosting output from 240 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque to a hefty 290 hp and 465 lb-ft, the Techart Cayenne Diesel drops the stock 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds down to a handy 7.7 seconds, all without harming the vehicle's fuel economy or emissions numbers. Nice work, but the most impressive part is the modified torque curve that gives the big oil-burner accessible grunt from as low as 1,000 rpm.

Techart has also crafted a unique Aerokit 1 for the diesel sport-ute, giving it a more aggressive stance while improving airflow, capped with giant 21-inch alloys or optional 22s. The British tuning house offers a turnkey model at £55,500 (around $89k USD) with the body kit and engine mods, or can fit an existing diesel Cayenne with the Aerokit for £15,000 ($24k) and the engine kit for £2,500 ($4k). Details in the press release after the jump and high-res images are on offer in the gallery below.



[Source: Techart]

What's the most common Pavlovian response to the name "Porsche?" Thinking of people running on treadmills, right? If you had a different thought, consider that treadmills were front and center at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend, where 12 runners set a new world record for the longest distance covered in 48 hours: 539.86 miles. The previous world record of 495.76 miles was set in back in April 2008.

This weekend's event was organized by sports scientists at the Porsche Human Performance Centre, a name that prompted us to make sure it wasn't April 1. This is a real thing, though, and their "careful preparation" and special Adidas shoes helped each runner complete their 45-mile shifts – at an average speed of 11.3 mph – over the weekend. We appreciate what Porsche is trying to do here, but we'll take an electric 911 and just suck down a few Gatorades when it's ready. Thanks. Check out the high-res gallery below and the official press release after the jump.



[Source: Porsche]

With every iteration of the 911, Porsche makes incremental improvements to its iconic sports car and naturally, the next generation will be no exception.

This latest 911 prototype was caught at the Nurburgring sporting 997 sheetmetal, but it's what's on top and out back that deserves note. A double-bubble roof panel has been fitted, while underneath the rear camouflage is a sizeable wing and additional ducting. Look closely and you'll see a small sill at the base of the rear windscreen that's assumed to be feeding the rear-mounted flat-six – likely necessary keep the boxer cool while Porsche engineers figure out how the new contoured roof affects aerodynamics. If previous reports are to be believed, we can expect the next 911 to debut sometime in 2010, but we wouldn't rule out an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Porsche plans to expand its Panamera line-up to include three new powerplants – a Volkswagen-sourced V6, a diesel and some manner of hybrid – but in addition to offering new engines, the automaker may offer a harder, more performance-oriented model to slot in above the Turbo.

Similar to the strategy Porsche employed with the Cayenne, this new model – which could be dubbed the Turbo S or GTS – would nix the Turbo model's standard air suspension and instead fit a set of performance-tuned springs and shocks to maximize grip and on-track prowess.

As for future powertrains, a senior Porsche executive told Autocar that VAG's V6 and V8 diesels could be fitted to future Panameras, and we wouldn't be surprised to find the new Audi S4's supercharged, petrol-powered 3.0-liter V6 in Porsche's first production sedan in the coming years.



[Source: Autocar]

In an interview with German magazine Motor Zeitung, Porsche's R&D director Wolfgang Dürheimer discussed the possibility of electrifying the iconic 911 sports car. Legendary Porsche tuners Ruf first showed a battery-powered prototype 911 called the eRuf last fall and then revealed a second-generation version (pictured) at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The eRuf Greenster was a major improvement over the original and Dürheimer praised the achievement of the smaller company.

Dürheimer doesn't rule out an electrified sports car in the future, but feels the technology is not quite ready for Porsche prime-time. The problem revolves around the size and weight of the batteries, and even discarding the conventional powertrain leaves the Greenster with a deficit of at least 500 pounds compared to a normal 911... and no luggage space to boot. As battery technology progresses, however, we can certainly expect a battery-powered sports car to emerge from Zuffenhausen in due course.



[Source: Motor Zeitung]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Porsche is profitable and it owns a big chunk of the far larger Volkswagen, yet cash seems to be in short supply. Automotive News is reporting that the world-renowned luxury sports car maker's 1.75 billion euro ($2.45 billion USD) loan request from German state bank KFW has been rejected, leaving Porsche to search elsewhere for funding. Porsche secured 10.75 billion euros ($15.1B) in financing from banks in March to feed its 9 billion euro debt ($12.6B) mountain, but it's looking for alternative means for financing its cash crunch.

Porsche has already looked outside of Europe for funding to handle its mounting debt, as it worked with the Arab emirate of Qatar to secure a sizable stake in the company. VW, smelling blood in the water, reportedly gave Porsche an ultimatum, offering up 3-4 billion euro ($4.2-$5.6B) for 49% of the sports car maker in exchange for not forcing the repayment of a 700 million euro loan ($983M) in September. Porsche responded by saying that ultimatums don't belong in the 21st century. Unfortunately, bankruptcies are all too common in the new economy, so the proud German company may have to dig a bit deeper to keep themselves from falling into the financial abyss.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd) | Image: Michael Latz/Getty]