Everything old is new again for Porsche
Infiniti will also be rolling out new models next year
Porsche to revive 718 moniker with 2017 Boxster and Cayman The rumours that Porsche would be ditching the flat six in the Boxster and Cayman in favour of a four pot have been circulating for many months.
A statement this week confirmed those rumours, along with a significant name change.
For the 2017 model year, the roadster and coupe siblings will be called the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman in homage to the brand’s late ’50s-era racers, which were also powered by four-cylinder engines.
The switch to a turbocharged four also brings a technical tie to the company’s Le Mans winning 919 LMP1car and will likely lessen the constant comparisons between the Cayman and the flagship 911. Seattle allows Uber drivers to unionize Uber and other app-based ridebooking services like Lyft have come under fire for several reasons, from bylaw infractions to job security.
While it seems like no single municipality has a handle on how to resolve the issues, one city has its own take.
In the first case of its kind in the United States, city council in Seattle, Wash., has voted unanimously to allow drivers who work with these services to unionize, essentially accepting drivers as employees rather than just casual contractors.
Lawmakers and taxi operators across North America are likely watching the Seattle situation to see how it might affect their own territory. Infiniti announces new line of V6 twin-turbo engines Part of Nissan’s allure in North America over the years has been its focus on long-lived V6 engines, which perform admirably across the model line.
The VG series was produced from 1984 until 2004 in a variety of displacements, in vehicles that ranged from the 300ZX sports car to the venerable Nissan Pathfinder.
Its replacement, the VQ was named one of Ward’s 10 best engines when it arrived on the scene and remains in widespread use across the Nissan/Infiniti model line.
The company has announced that a new series of engines, coded VR, will go into production for 2016.
The VR is set to follow the trend of offering different levels of performance, but that and the number of cylinders is where the similarity ends.
Built in Fukushima, Japan, the VR is a 3.0-L engine that will make use of twin turbos.
Initially, the VR will be installed in the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan. Two models will be available, one with 300-horsepower and the other with 400.
Nissan is calling the VR the most technically advanced V6 the company has ever built.
In addition to being fed air by a pair of turbos, the 400 horsepower version will also make use of two water pumps to manage temperature more effectively under high loads.
Another interesting detail is that the exhaust manifolds are built right into the cylinder heads, which not only eliminates the weight of a heavy manifold but also reduces emissions by allowing the catalytic converter to be closer to the heat source, ensuring that it warms up instantly.