Porsche looking to China for production of Cajun CUV

When Porsche was integrated into the Volkswagen group, its new parent company set an ambitious sales target for its latest division: 150,000 units annually. That would require a 50% increase in sales, but Porsche figures it can hit the far more ambitious target of 200,000 units per year for a 100% increase.

To get there, however, Porsche realizes its current production capacity will not be enough. And so it will need to produce vehicles at additional facilities, which could include plants in the United States and China.

The latter would seem a logical first step as the Audi Q5, on which the upcoming Cajun SUV is based, is already being built in China. Beyond the Cajun, however, production in the United States – still the biggest market for Porsche – could be in the cards within a few years.

New Car JNH Porsche GT3 996

New company J.N.Hephaiss have released details of this PIG UGLY kit for those wanting to devalue their Porsche 996 GT3.  (J.N.Hephaiss Press Release) Our very first model is the Porsche GT3 (Type 996), one of the top performance cars on the public road among naturally-aspirated engine cars. With power performance and instant acceleration that tops 300km/h, sharp handling and gear sound, it’s completely different from standard Carrera.

Humble appearance and exhaust sound of GT3, which we find a little disappointing for such a prestige car, are the main reason why we went into the lab for a year to create the extreme Porsche. The final product, aggressive yet not vulgar and so fitting of its power, adds am impact to its slender body of GT3. At the same time, it exceeds the functionality of the original car in terms of aerodynamics and cooling effect.

Mooted Cadillac flagship could be mid-engined sports car

Car and Driver is reporting that the often-reported Cadillac flagship is at a crossroads. There have been many rumors that the planned range-topper will wind up as a rear-wheel drive, high-end luxury sedan slotting above the production version of the XTS Platinum (the concept version of which is shown above). Now C/D has apparently been hearing whispers that it may in fact show up as a mid-engined sports car.

While the thought of a luxurious, mid-engined ZR1 sounds appealing, we’ll file this in the don’t-hold-your-breath category. Although, if the company is brassy enough to build the ultra low-volume CTS-V Sport Wagon, then perhaps anything is possible.

Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio coupe enters production with Saudi investment

Want to get your hands on a Maybach coupe? You’ve got two options. First would be to commission a replica of the Exelero concept car on the chassis of a Dodge Viper. That’ll set you back €550,000, or about $730k at today’s conversion rates. Your other choice is to have Xenatec convert a Maybach 57 S limo into a coupe for €675,000 ($894k).

We brought you initial news of the project back in May, followed by details in October. For a quick refresher, the German coachbuilder brought in Fredrik Burchhardt, designer of the original Exelero, to pen the modified shape for the coupe. The result keeps most of the saloon’s mechanicals in place – including the 600+ horsepower twin-turbo V12 – only with modified bodywork, cabin and (of course) two longer doors instead of four.

Seen until now only in sketches, the Xenatec Maybach coupe has been (awkwardly) dubbed the Cruiserio, and it has just made its debut at Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart. The project is now being underwritten by a €70 million ($93M) investment from AutoKingdom of Saudi Arabia. Over the course of three years, Xenatec and AutoKingdom ambitiously anticipate building 100 examples, and say they’ve already got enough orders to keep them busy for the next year or so. Can’t wait that long? The first example is up for sale out of Riyadh, with a price tag of just under a cool million.

eBay Find of the Day: Volkswagen New Beetle Limo

We all may be up to our eyebrows in holiday cheer at the moment, but prom season is right around the corner. Thanks to the wonder of the Internet, now you can be ready to rake in the cold, hard cash of parents desperate to please their teenage daughters. Behold, the Volkswagen New Beetle limousine. This fine piece of machinery is up for bid right now from New Jersey’s Route 22 Limousines. Inside, this stretcher has everything you’d expect from an engorged Beetle, including a grey leather interior, television, minibar and trippy mood lighting.

Miraculously enough, this machine gets its power from the Beetle’s stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine bolted to the same four-speed automatic gearbox that it used from the factory. Loaded with screaming teens, we have to imagine that this thing gets to 60 mph in about the same time frame as our grandmother. On foot.

Still, a limo as unique as the one above could be a genuine money-maker. Or at least it would be if it didn’t have a $45,000 Buy It Now price. Check it out on eBay.