Porsche is considering developing a four-door coupe based on the upcoming gasoline-electric 918 Spyder supercar in order to benefit from economies of scale. �

The coupe is called 984 internally.  The 9 is Porsche’s denomination for a sports car, the 8 stands for eight cylinders and the 4 stands for four seats.  Riding on a stretched version of the 918′s lightweight carbon fiber chassis, the 984 will take the form of a sleek four-door coupe with a low roofline reminiscent of the 911.  

In spite of its 2+2 seating configuration, the 984 will be powered by a mid-mounted 4.6-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine derived from the mill that powers the 918, but it will do without the topless supercar’s electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack.  Early estimates suggest the engine will send around 700 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. �

The mid-engine setup will free up two cargo compartments.

Automobile Magazine reports Porsche chief engineer Michael Mauer has already built a full-size concept of the car but management has not decided whether or not to show it to the public.  If launched, the production variant of the 984 will arrive in 2017 at the earliest with a base price in the vicinity of €350,000 (about $468,000), rough half the price of a 918 Spyder.<![CDATA[
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A new report finds that France’s Peugeot is considering launching a more potent version of the 208 GTi hot hatch.

Tentatively called 208 Pikes Peak Edition, the car will arrive as a limited-edition model designed to celebrate Sébastien Loeb’s recent victory in the grueling hill climb.  It will offer an edition-specific exterior treatment consisting of Peugeot Sport decals, a discreet body kit all around and bespoke alloy wheels mounted on low-profile tires.

The cockpit will be largely carried over from the 208 GTi but it will gain a numbered plaque on the dash.  Leather-upholstered bucket seats and a touch screen-based infotainment system will come standard.

Co-developed with BMW, the 208 GTi’s 200-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine will gain between 20 and 30 horsepower.  A track-tuned suspension and upgraded brakes on all four corners will help keep the extra power in check.

If the rumor proves true, the 208 GTi Pikes Peak Edition will make its debut before the end of the year and go on sale across Europe shortly after.  In France, it will carry a base price of about €25,700 (approximately $34,000).<![CDATA[
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Nissan likes to think of the current-gen Maxima as a four-door sports car, despite its front-wheel drive setup complete a continuously variable transmission. That underwhelming setup just might be in line for a big change up, though. That is, if the teaser photos above are to be believed.

Pictured above are two photos snapped by Motor Authority at a recent Nissan event. They appear to show a four-door sedan closely inspired by the profile of the GT-R with crisp sidelines and a fastback rear end. In the second photo we see a front fascia that departs from that GT-R styling and borrows heavily from the Resonance concept from this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

Could this sporty sedan concept rendering become the next-gen Maxima? We don’t yet know. Nissan has typically kept its rear-drive sedans exclusively in its Infiniti line so a true four-door sports car Maxima is unlikely. Regardless, if it includes these bodylines, it’ll be a sight sportier than the current iteration.

What we do know, however, is that this stylish and muscular looking sedan concept should make its debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. If it does become a new Maxima, it wouldn’t be rolled out until 2015 at the soonest.

Clearly, then, this story has plenty of time to develop. As more info becomes available, we’ll bring it to you.

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Lexus has lifted the veil on its redesigned mid-size SUV, the 2014 GX 460.�

Adopting the automaker’s “spindle” grille design, the GX 470 now includes newly standard LED headlamps and daytime running lamps and it will offer LED fog lamps as an option. At the rear, the GX 460 gains clear tail lamps and a revised bumper, while new wheels finish the look outside. 

Inside, the GX 470 receives an eight-inch touch screen as standard equipment, as well as a new “linear espresso wood/abyss black” trim package. Tech like a rearview camera, HD radio with weather and traffic information and Bluetooth are included as standard. �

Lexus hasn’t made any significant changes to the GX 460′s 4.6-liter, 301-horsepower V8 or its six-speed automatic gearbox. Four-wheel-drive with a two-speed transfer case and a Torsen limited-slip center differential are standard, giving the GX 460 above average off road ability. In addition, Lexus’ unique Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, which uses hydraulic actuators to keep the swaybars in position for limited body lean on road or loosen them for additional articulation off road, is included as standard equipment.

A trailer sway control system is new for 2014.

The GX’s fuel economy remains rated at 15/20 mpg

Price drop

Lexus has lowered the GX 460′s base price by a hefty $4,710 to $49,085 (plus a mandatory $910 destination charge) despite no major changes in standard equipment.

In addition, the automaker says that its well-equipped GX 460 Premium Package will list for about the same as last year’s entry-level model.The Premium Package adds navigation, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, intuitive parking assist and a three-zone automatic climate control system.

Topping the range at $60,715 is the GX 460 Luxury, which adds to the Premium an adaptable air suspension, a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, and unique 18-inch alloy wheels. Optional on the GX 460 Luxury is an Advanced Pre Collision with Driver Monitor system that can sense an impending wreck.

Lexus says to expect the new GX 460 in dealers soon.

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The Formula One racing series won’t make an appearance in New Jersey with the Manhattan skyline as its dramatic backdrop after all, F1 CEO Bernie Eccelstone has revealed.

The outspoken and often controversial F1 chief indicated that fundraising for the planned Grand Prix of America in the Port Imperial area of West New York and Weehawken, New Jersey, that had been under development for 2014 hasn’t gone as well as organizers hoped. 

Eccelstone told CNN that “it’s not in the cards for next year” because organizers “haven’t got any money.”

Grand Prix of America spokesman Alex Howe told the news channel a different story.

“We don’t comment on financial matters, but we are on track for 2014 and will have a statement following the announcement of the official 2014 FIA Formula One Championship Schedule,” Howe said.

But Howe’s words ring a little hollow given that the inaugural race was already postponed an entire year. 

For now, it appears that the only F1 race in the United States will remain the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.<![CDATA[
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In Australia, Holden is king. Its rear-drive sedan and coupe designs have been so influential, they’ve spawned variants across the globe from Vauxhall in Europe to Pontiac and Chevrolet here in the U.S. In fact, a shortened, two-door version of the Commodore – the Monaro – underpinned the last-gen Pontiac GTO here in the States.

Although the new Commodore – sent Stateside as the Chevrolet SS – has lived on, Holden has subsequently axed the aforementioned Monaro. Delightfully, an Australian design firm called Dsine International – along with some designers from Holden – is keeping the Monaro spirit alive with the digital rendering you see above.

The new-gen Monaro was an after-hours project taken on by the team at Dsine and a few Holden designers Peter Hughes and Simon Gow, according to a Drive report. It’s so serious about the car, though, Dsine has said it’d go further with the design if not for a lack of funding.

Should it ever find its way to production, though, the Monaro could make for a tremendous new-gen Monte Carlo here in the States along side its big brother, the Chevy SS. Aside from the obvious obstacles in its path to production, the Monaro has another wildly styled barrier in its path to America: the Camaro.

The Monaro and the Camaro are essentially mechanical twins underneath the bodywork. As much as old GM liked to sell four versions of the same car, new GM isn’t so keen on the idea. Holden seems to love this Monaro rendering, though. Should anything develop from it, we’ll be sure to let you know.<![CDATA[
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General Motors apparently learned its lesson from the ill-fated Cadillac XLR. The Detroit-based automaker says it has not plans to offer the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette as anything other than a Corvette.

Cadillac introduced the Corvette-based XLR in 2003 as a rival for Mercedes-Benz SL, but the C5-based luxury car never gained much traction. The XLR was widely criticized for its cheap interior and sky-high sticker price, which ranged from about $75,000 for base model to more than $100,000 for the top-of-the-line V performance version. The XLR was put out to pasture in 2009 following several years of stale sales.

Cadillac recently unveiled a new high-end two-door in the form of the Elmiraj concept, but don’t expect that vehicle to borrow the Corvette’s underpinnings if given the green light.

“This is a Corvette, it’s optimized for the Corvette market,” Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Jeuchter told Fox News. “There’s no intent to offer any other nameplate, aside from the Corvette.”

Although we’re all for a wider selection of sporty cars, the XLR proved that it’s probably in GM’s best interest to keep the Corvette as a bespoke Chevrolet product.

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