Porsche insiders recently commented that the plan for the 4-door convertible has been cancelled but the paper trail for patent applications in the United States point in the other direction.

The design reveals that the new car using a 4-door configuration will need some stiffening on the Panamera’s bulkhead and floorpan so that sufficient integrity and rigidity of the structure can be achieved.

It will be quite a bold move to bring a four-door convertible to the showrooms. It will be a more daring step than rolling out the usual two-door top down, but it will be giving Porsche an advantage in having unique points to sell to consumers.

Retaining the 4-door architecture gives the convertible the same space of the interiors as in the saloon. The boot will somehow be compromised by the roof. Looking at the design of the four-door Panamera, it seems that the car will be sporting a fabric roof.

Other car manufacturers have also considered producing 4-door convertibles but the additional weights to provide the required structure stiffening remain to be the stumbling blocks.

We still don’t know if this Panamera convertible will ever go into production. Check out the drawings and the renderings that we have here.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S is engineered for drivers who want the best out of their engines in terms of driving dynamics and power. The new member of the Porsche garage boasts of 530 horsepower and a monstrous torque of 516 pound-feet. The car also comes with the 7 speed PDK dual clutch transmission.

All the high-tech upgrades you can get for the 911 Tubro comes as standard for the Turbo S version. Aside from the all-wheel drive system and PDK transmission, the 911 Turbo S has dynamic engine mounts and mechanical differential equipped torque vectoring system.

The 911 Turbo S by Porsche can zoom from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.3 seconds and can hit 124mph in 10.8 seconds. The top speed hits the speedometer at 195 mph.

Despite the improved power, the engine of the 911 Tubro S does not guzzle more fuel than the regular 911 Turbo. It proves to be very efficient as a sports car with a fuel mileage of 26.8 mpg combined in its class.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S will roll out of dealerships in Europe this May in both Cabriolet and Coupe variants. It will arrive in the United States latter part of 2010.

Among the wide array of Porsche models, the Boxster was hit by nearly 60% decrease in sales despite the fact that it has been remodeled recently.

In order to remedy the damage and improve sales, Porsche is planning to make a cheaper base model for the Boxster. If the reports push through, new Boxster would get the same Audi TTS engine.

The existing Boxster model carries a six-cylinder engine with 255hp and 213lb-ft of torque. If the Audi TT(R)S engine finds its way into the new base Boxster, it would give an extra 20hp and another 44lb-ft of torque. It would also give the new Boxster a cheaper price tag.

Auto Motor and Sports reported that introduction of the TTS engine to the Boxster has been raised during the Audi-Porsche meeting. Once Porsche gives the go signal, perhaps the cheaper version of Boxster would rake in new buyers. At present, the cheapest Boxster is sold at approximately €46,500 in Europe. With the TTS engine in place, it could go as low as €40,000.

Unfortunately, the conflict between Porsche and Audi purists could be an obstacle for the new Boxster. There are also reports saying the Porsche is planning to add another roaster below the Boxster range.

The car can is a welcome development for most consumers with only the sports car elitists raising their arms in objection. Sports car lovers would love the balanced and easy to drive rear or mid engine sports car. The affordable price tag will satisfy those who want to get their hands behind a Porsche steering wheel without draining their savings account.

The sub-Boxster model might be the rebirth of the 356 which rocketed Porsche to the sports car scene. The collaborative platform will share elements with the Audi R4 and the Volkswagen Bluesport. The three cars will share elements to produce the new Porsche roadster.

The R4 from Audi is expected to hit the market by 2011 so the new Porsche car might come a year after if everything on the development side goes smoothly. The powerplant is expected to have a displacement of 1.9L with a supercharger or mild turbocharging to have an output of around 250 horsepower.

The reborn 356 is expected to get a new treatment for its interiors and exteriors to distinguish it from the other siblings in the Porsche garage.

According to experts, the lightweight car may rival the performance of the Lotus Exige with a less stiff price tag in the United States. The Porsche Boxster and its S variant is priced near the line of the Lotus Exige and Elise but their heavier poundage and more horsepower placed them on a different class.

This information came from a reliable source but a lot of things can still happen before 2012 since Porsche is on soft grounds in terms of finances.

The chief of the union of Porsche Uwe Hueck clarifies that no decision has been made if Wedeking will be replaced by Michael Macht who served as the past production chief of the car maker.

The payoff has been generating a loud buzz around the auto industry but it has not been confirmed that such a deal will push through. The CEO has been under the microscope for allowing the holding company to accumulate debts of approximately $12.7 billion while attempting to takeover VW.

Wendelin Wiedeking

Wiedeking also opposed the plans of VW to take a 50% stake at Porsche to ease the company of its financial burdens.

The CEO has been the top man for Porsche since 1993 and has transformed the company from its laggard state to a profitable one until the recent financial crisis.

Under the leadership of Wideking, the pre-tax earnings of Porsche shoot up from 4 billion Euros to about 5.9 billion Euros in 2008. The figures were still set to climb until the credit crunch.

The compensation package being offered for Wiedeking to quit is commensurate to his earnings as Porsche CEO. He is receiving the highest salary in the auto industry which was pegged at $89 million per year in 2007.

There is no final move yet as Porsche considers its moves and offers from parties like Volkswagen and Qatar.

The current line up of Panamera is topped by the Panamera Turbo, AWD Panamera, Panamera S, and the standard variant Panamera. All run on a V8 4.8 L which can be turbocharged or naturally aspirated.

By 2010, Porsche will release to the market the V6 entry level model and the hybrid Panamera which runs on petrol-electric systems. There is also a possibility for a Cabrio two-door model.

The hybrid Panamera will team up with the current SUV prototype Cayenne in answering the market’s need for a more environment-friendly Porsche. The Panamera Cabrio is also in the works. The Cabrio will be released with a V8 and V6 variants.

Porsche is also coordinating with a Volkswagen group to come up with a diesel version. Porsche execs have commented that there are bases that they can use to develop a diesel Panamera with a V8 or V6 engine. That car may use a V8 similar to the Audi A8 which outputs 322hp and the V6 of the Cayenne which generates 240hp.

The Panamera GTS will use the Turbo platform of the Panamera sedan but will use steel springs instead of the air suspension.

Volkswagen, known later as the Beetle, holds a rich and complex history that could not be summed up in a few paragraphs. But the most important date, perhaps, is June 22, 1934 when Porsche was given the go signal by the Association of the German Reich of the Automotive Industry to manufacture the Volkswagen.

The first Volkswagen made for the civilian use began its continuous production in the summer of 1945. It was given the name ‘VW Käfer’, and sometimes called the VW Beetle. We all have known that in the later years that followed, the Volkswagen did not only become a popular car, but also an icon in the car industry.

As Special Exhibition featuring the first Volkswagen models and the men behind the rich history will be held till July 31, 2009 at the Porsche Museum. The exhibit includes Ferdinand Porsche, one of the men who designed and built the famous car.

Of course, the exhibit will feature actual models: one will be the Volkswagen pre-war model aptly called the rare VW38; while the second model is a tribute to the present’s diesel technology, a Beetle with a diesel engine straight from the early 1950s.

Despite the hints, the group did not disclose any formal plans with regard to the production of the electric Porsche 911. While they are on the discussion table, RUF is already talking about the production of an EV derived from 911 Cabrio tagged as the Greenster.

Durheimer recognizes the efforts of RUF but looks into the issues of the weight of the car, its performance, handling, and cargo room. The Porsche finesse in terms of the torque, traction, and instant response may still have to be tweaked.

The Greenster in fact is a bit on the heavy side at 3,750lbs. The engine is quite powerful at 362 hp and can zoom to 100km/hr or 62mph in 5 seconds. Greenster’s top speed was recorded at 320 km/hr. Still, the numbers fall short of the Porsche 911 expectations.

While RUF is thinking of Greenster sales by 2010, it is good to hear that a green car by Porsche is being considered by the Durheimer. It will be worth a toast if the electric Porsche 911 will meet the expectations of living up to its being a Porsche 911.

The production goal is set to coincide with the end of contract between Porsche and Valmet Automotive of Finland so the new models of the range will be delivered under an agreement with the Austrian firm Magna Steyr.

The bigger wheel arches of the sheet metal gives out a hint that the Porsche Cayman may be using another platform suggesting of a wider track. Looking forward, the new car will be bigger than the current version with improvements on its dynamics and handling.

The test car is in the early stage of development with the roll-cage still very evident from the spy photos. It might be too early to assume the changes that will be made by Porsche on the engine of the Cayman or the Boxster but for sure that powerplant of the new vehicles will carry over the features of the flat-six range with minimal upgrades.

There is a buzz though in the automotive community that Porsche is planning to use a lighter engine with the new cars and it will be based on a 4-cylinder platform that will be turbocharged and will be a lot lighter than the previous generation.

The new design propositions may also give way for a release of a Carrera with a smaller engine to meet the stricter emission requirements. The current generation of Porsche Cayman and Boxster has a carbon dioxide emission of about 222g/km which is about 100 g/km above the possible 2015 limits.

PHOTOS AT MOTOR AUTHORITY!

The moves of Porsche are fully backed up by majority of its shareholders but the union at the Volkswagen group is still reviewing the potentials of things to come if the Porsche takeover will push through. The VW end worries that Porsche might interfere with their operations and production especially with the Audi line up which may directly compete with some of the vehicles of Porsche.

In a recent conference in Russia, the finance minister of Qatar verbally expressed the intention of their government to acquire some stakes in Porsche. The amount of the investment and its details has not been disclosed though.

Porsche applied for a loan with the government owned bank KfW. The auto maker is asking for a $2.5 billion dollar loan from the federal government and it will primarily be used to manage their debt.

Porsche acquired over 50% of Volkswagen last year. The process of increasing its VW stake contributed to the ballooning of the debt. Technically the two companies are already combined but a closer integration might help erase their debt.

The main thrust of the negotiation centered on combining ten brands from Porsche and Volkswagen under a single umbrella group. Despite some impediments encountered, the top management of both companies has expressed their desire to achieve the goal amicably and constructively.