porsche

This week kicks off the Los Angeles Auto Show, where automakers show off their latest models and concepts in the city known for its car culture. CNET will be at the show during press preview days this week, getting a first-hand look. Here are some of the cars we are looking forward to seeing at the show: … Read more

If you can't quite afford a supercar, you might want to try the Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry smartphone instead.

Featuring materials as premium as those found in a Porsche sports car, the phone has a hand-wrapped leather back cover and forged stainless steel finishing. Love it or loathe it, the angular QWERTY keyboard design will definitely turn a few heads.

Under the hood, the P'9981 runs the BB 7 OS on a 1.2GHz processor and has NFC capabilities--most of its specs are similar to the Bold 9900. However, the Porsche Design handset has a bespoke UI with specially designed icons and a custom Wikitude augmented reality (AR) experience. Wikitude is an app that incorporates AR and location-based search using the phone's built-in compass.

The Porsche Design BlackBerry handset also has an exclusive PIN that starts with 2AA to help identify it to other P'9981 users on BBM. On paper, it seems a lot better than Porsche Design's previous phone. … Read more

It may seem like a luxury car, and cost as much, but the Panamera Turbo S handles better and goes faster than most sport cars.

The cabin is lined with leather, wood, and metal. Front and back seats get climate control plus individual heating and cooling. The Burmester audio system produces exceptionally clean and detailed sound. All of this, and the near $200 grand price tag would make you think the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is a luxury cruiser. It even has five doors.

But driving the thing tells a different story. Engage the launch control and it takes … Read more

The most reliable cars are... Plus, the Nissan Leaf spawns a plug-in cousin, Ford stops your teen from texting while driving, a scathing report on red-light cameras, and we drive the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

While their competitors add compacts, hybrids, and electric cars, Volkswagen and Audi are pursuing a different product strategy in the United States.

Both VW Group brands want the volume and higher profits that go with larger vehicles.

VW just launched the Passat sedan designed for the United States and built at its new Chattanooga, Tenn., factory. The U.S. Passat is larger though less expensive than the version sold in Europe.

VW executives have talked about selling a small car like the European Polo in the United States. But for now they are focusing on the Passat and two other … Read more

Consumer Reports released the results of its annual car reliability survey today, and Scion came out as the top brand, with the fewest reported problems.

Scion cars proved the most reliable, according to owners contributing their experiences in the latest survey by Consumer Reports used to predict car reliability. The report, released today, compiles survey results for 28 brands. The least reliable cars, according to the survey, bear the Jaguar badge.

Along the Scion range, the xD scored the best, while the xB model was the worst, although all were well above most other brands. Lexus, another brand from Toyota, grabbed the No. 2 spot, and its CT200h model proved the most reliable, even more so than the Scion xD. Toyota-branded cars showed up at No. 6 in the survey.… Read more

Rennsport Reunion IV gathered Porsches of all vintages for a weekend of racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The fourth Rennsport Reunion was held October 14-16, 2011, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and CNET was there to soak it all in. The previous three events were all held on the east coast, so this was the West Coast's first chance to bask in more than 50 years of Porsche racing glory. Everywhere we looked, fantastic examples of Porsche's most decorated cars were lurking, with 50 or so drivers from throughout the decades also on hand to tell stories … Read more

Drag Racing for Android puts you in the driver's seat of your favorite street racer. With more than 50 real cars to choose from, dozens of upgrades, and a nearly unlimited pool of opponents, don't be surprised to find yourself behind the wheel for hours at a time.

The game offers four racing modes to choose from. You can Race Offline against the computer, Quick Race one-on-one against an online opponent, join the Pro League against a group of online competitors, or race against Friends. Also, you can choose either quarter-mile or half-mile races, with the shorter distance … Read more

This week, our Frankfurt auto show preview. Volkswagen finds the only direction is up, Land Rover ends tea time to update a 25 year old model, and Yo-Auto redesigns the car door.

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