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Porsche is getting in on the diesel craze with its first diesel-powered vehicle ever offered in the U.S. The 2013 Cayenne will be available with a turbo-diesel V6 option pumping out 240 horsepower, permanent all-wheel drive and a staggering 406 lb-ft of trailer-towing torque. That’s enough power to propel the super-SUV to 60 in 7.2 seconds and 135 miles per hour on the track. That’ll outrun your neighbor’s base Cayenne by .2 seconds, but don’t try to take on a Cayenne Turbo (0-60 in 4.4 seconds).

Porsche says the diesel’s estimated fuel economy numbers are 20 city / 28 highway. The Volkswagen Touareg offers the same diesel engine but with 15 fewer horses and EPA estimates of 19/28 mpg. Bad news, however, for anyone who likes shifting their own gears. Looks like only the 8-speed Tiptronic will be available with the diesel.
While the least-expensive Cayenne will set you back at least $48,850, adding the diesel engine runs the base price up to $55,750. That’s not too bad when you consider the platform-sharing Touareg TDI starts at just below $47k and runs all the way up to $59k for the Executive level VW.
Car spotters can ID the latest Cayenne variant by the "Diesel" badges behind the front wheel wells.

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Mitsubishi, which will unveil the latest version of its Outlander crossover at the Geneva International Motor Show next month, will start selling a battery-electric version of the CUV by next spring.

The Japanese automaker said it will add an “EV-based Outlander model” to its lineup during its fiscal year 2012, indicating that the EV will start sales by March 31, 2012. Mitsubishi didn’t provide further details on specifications, price or range, saying only that the powertrain would be based on Mitsubishi’s “already existing EV technology.” Last July, Ward’s Auto reported that Mitsubishi would start selling a plug-in hybrid-electric version of the Outlander Sport in 2013. The automaker first unveiled a concept version of the plug-in at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show,

Mitsubishi’s battery-electric crossover marks its continued efforts to cut its fleets’ carbon footprint by way of broader electrification. Mitsubishi, which started selling its battery-electric Mitsubishi i on the West Coast and in Hawaii last November, last month confirmed that the i would be available nationwide by summer, earlier than expected. The car, which costs about $6,000 less than the $35,200 Nissan Leaf battery electric, was named in November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as the U.S.’s most fuel-efficient vehicle in terms of its so-called miles-per-gallon-equivalent ratings.

Earlier this month, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the Mitsubishi i the “greenest” car sold in the U.S. this year. The ACEEE had bestowed that award on the Honda Civic Natural Gas for the previous eight straight years, though the Leaf shared last year’s distinction with the CNG-powered Civic.

We’ve all heard the doom and gloom about the failure of plug-in cars, right? It is true that plug-in vehicles will account for substantially less than one percent of new cars sold in the U.S. this year, but that doesn’t mean electric-drive vehicle advocates should fret. Not when you look at a bigger picture.

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Here are the first complete set of gallery showing the new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe with the aggressive M Sport Package which will be available from the launch of the new car.

Among the features included are an M aerodynamics package with uniquely designed front fascia, side skirts and rear fascia. The M Sport package also includes exhaust tips in black chrome, black-painted brake calipers, LED foglamps, a sports exhaust system for the BMW 650i Gran Coupe and 19-inch light-alloy wheels in M double-spoke design. 20-inch light-alloy wheels in M double-spoke design are also available as a package upgrade. Customers ordering the M Sport package may also opt for the M paint finishes Carbon Black metallic and Imola Red non-metallic.

The sporting theme continues inside the car in the form of special M Alcantara/leather sports seats with blue contrast stitching, an M leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons and gearshift paddles, and aluminium hexagon interior trim. Plus, the M Sport package adds door sill finishers sporting the M logo and an M driver’s footrest to the mix.

Most likely the M Sport Package will come with a premium price, but well worth it for some customers looking for an “M-look” without the additional M6 markup.

We’ve heard from Ford’s Sue Cischke many times over the years, about things like the Escape Plug-in Hybrid test program and the overall state of the green car industry. We won’t be hearing from her much in the future, though, at least not in her role as the Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. She will be retiring from that post as of February 1, 2012.

Cischke, seen here with the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, will be replaced by Robert Brown, who currently holds a similar position at Ford of Europe. Cischke worked in the auto industry for 35 years and has held her current position since 2008, working as the senior vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering since 2007. Before joining Ford in 2001, she worked at DaimlerChrysler (and, before that, just Chrysler). Brown has worked at Ford since 1979.

Toyota may be hard at work on a new version of the company’s iQ microcar. The sleuths at Carscoop have managed to uncover a patent rendering of the fuel-sipping sub-compact wearing some considerably more aggressive bodywork. It’s unclear whether these designs are meant for the U.S.-market iQ or its Toyota-badged twin, but we’re more than a little intrigued by the vehicle’s widebody treatment.

The kit looks to include a reworked front fascia and wheel arches along with a new rear valance that includes a diffuser and space for dual exhaust outlets. A massive rear spoiler looks to be part of the package, as well, along with side skirts to match the rest of the bodywork. What does Toyota have planned with this pint-sized bruiser? Your guess is as good as ours, but here’s hoping we hear something concrete from the company soon. Head over to Carscoop for additional renderings.

With the United States Postal Service facing financial woes, Infrastructurist claims to have found a plugged-in solution that will keep the centuries-old, Constitution-formed government agency alive and kicking: four tips that, if successful, would make Benjamin Franklin* proud. Here’s an abbreviated look at tip number one:

The USPS currently operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world, with an estimated 218,684 vehicles. In 2009, these vehicles used an average of 444 million gallons of fuel, at a cost of $1.1 billion. Every penny increase in the average cost of gas costs the USPS an extra $8 million, according to a USPS official. The good news: In 2009, the USPS got 6,500 hybrid cars. That leaves only 212,184 to go!

So, a switch to hybrids – or even better still, plug-in vehicles – could save the USPS millions. While likely true, the U.S. Postal Service is no stranger to plug-ins. In fact, the Postal Service has been plugging in for more than 100 years and it all started back in July 1899 in the New York city of Buffalo when an electric carriage replaced a far slower horse-drawn wagon and doubled the speed of mail collection. Adding more plug-in vehicles to the fleet won’t make mail arrive twice as fast, but it could save the government a lot of money. Given some calls to shut the USPS down or limit service, saving money could do something more impressive: keep the mail moving at all.

In the past year, several reports indicated possible engine agreements between BMW and a series of smaller or larger automakers. The insolvent carmaker Saab signed an engine sharing contract with BMW back in September 2010, preceded by a large diesel engine order from Carbon Motors, and more recently, Fisker Automotive said it will receive the new N20 four-cylinder powerplants from BMW.

According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, General Motors is also interested in using BMW petrol and diesel engines. Citing Stephen Girsky of GM, the German publication says General Motors has officially requested these engines from Munich, but it remains unknown which models the US automaker would like to use them for.

The negotiations between BMW Group and General Motors started in Fall 2010, even though at the time Dr. Norbert Reithofer, BMW boss, denied the discussions between the two brands.

It is clear that General Motors also has something to offer, more specifically the technology found in the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera, two highly respected vehicles in the industry with technology that could benefit the new BMW i sub-brand.

This last April, BMW hired Frank Weber, Opel product chief and lead engineer for Chevy Volt. Weber brings his expertise and lessons learned from the Volt that will be applied to the BMW i3, the first BMW fully electric vehicle to come to market in 2013.

SPX Corporation has been selected by Daimler AG as the preferred installer of plug-in vehicle charging stations for the German conglomerate’s Smart and Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The agreement calls for SPX Service Solutions to provide charging solutions to European consumers and Mercedes-Benz dealerships. This deal follows a pilot program that began in back in April at M-B dealers in five countries across Europe.

Tanvir Arfi, president of the SPX unit, stated:

We are confident that our strong pan-European presence, coupled with the knowledge and experience we’ve amassed as a supplier of electric vehicle charging installation services in the United States, makes us an ideal partner to serve Daimler’s EV infrastructure needs across the continent.

SPX Service Solutions is a division of Charlotte, NC-based SPX Financial. Exact terms of the firm’s deal with Daimler were not revealed.

Measuring just 120-inches in length, the Volkswagen Nils is powered by “a 33-horsepower electric motor that weighs just 42 pounds, pulling power from a 5.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack — the range is about 40 miles and charging takes just two hours.” Video after the break.

Facing the driver is a seven-inch TFT display with digital instrumentation. The Nils is also fitted with a portable infotainment unit to controls navigation, radio, phone and internet access.

[via Autoblog - Caranddriver]