New Cayenne is a beast, VW California revealed, and more!

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne was unveiled and will definitely be turning heads, especially as it whips by. The turbo E-hybrid will be the most powerful version boasting an impressive 729 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque powered by a twin turbo 4.0-liter V-8 gas engine that works in conjunction with an electric motor. People may ask, why do you need a plug in hybrid that Porsche claims can go zero-to-60 in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 183 mph? A common answer you may hear is, “Because it’s awesome.” But don’t worry. The 2024 Cayenne Turbo GT is also still an option should you not want an E-Hybrid. The 650 horsepower twin-turbo v8 with its 626 pound-feet of torque should still be able to get you from point A to B really fast with its top speed of 189 mph and sub 3 second zero-to-60 time. If you have about $200k laying around and are looking for a blistering fast SUV, it is definitely a recommended buy. 

Volkswagen announced its all new plug-in-hybrid that sounds perfect for camping. Powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor pushing a total of 215hp. That’s well and good, but the real meat and potatoes is the on-board lithium-ion batteries, dual sliding doors, and pop up tent top to camp longer and in style. Here’s hoping we actually see it in North America. If priced right, it could sell like gangbusters.

Speaking of VW, they have been making some moves regarding deals with chipmakers. As vehicles become more complex, demand has been rising dramatically. VW is wanting to ensure they can meet the demand by strategically purchasing important chips they feel will be in short supply directly from manufacturers. Previously VW relied on component suppliers to purchase chips, which allowed suppliers to dictate which parts they used. By working directly with manufacturers, they can ensure their supply was secure. They also plan to reduce the variety of chips required in its vehicles to help ease the burden on the supply chain. 

Everyone wants their car to be special or unique. We aspire to make it our own. Well this 2017 Golf R has definitely managed to do just that and more. In fact this Carbon Steel Grey, which came this way directly from factory, is a 1 of 1, officially recognized as such by VW with a letter of authenticity, and it was the catalyst that brought the Spektrum program to the US. Those that don’t know, Carbon Steel Grey Metallic was never a color that was offered for production on the Golf R. It was a MK6 and Mk7 GTI color code. But a clerical error at the Wolfsburg production plant allowed this special one-off to slip by as quality inspections check for problems with the finish, not particularly caring for the actual color used for the vehicle. So instead of Limestone grey(paint code LA7N) it received Carbon Steel Grey(paint code LA9W). People went completely nuts and this caught the eye of product manager, Megan Closset, as she saw tons of people trying to get their hands on the production error Golf R. Then the Spektrum program was born. Nowadays if you are really wanting a fun color from factory you can pay a premium when ordering, however the coveted Carbon Steel Grey is not an option from VW. If you want the car that started it all though, it has popped up on Bring a Trailer. 

Finally, it looks like the used market has finally seen prices dip for Q2. The Pandemic has wreaked havoc on the car market, and the effects are still lingering. The average price for a used vehicle was $29,472, which is a 4.6% decrease from previous year’s Q2 average of $30,905. Things are getting better but they are still nowhere near the pricing of Q2 2018 which saw average prices of about $20,153. With the market still fluctuating dramatically, who knows how much lower the prices will be.