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Porsche 918 Spyder officially priced from $845K, Weissach package $84K more

Porsche has released official pricing for its entire lineup of 2013 models, which just happens to include the upcoming 918 Spyder hybrid supercar. The 795-horsepower advanced-technology-lab-on-wheels is now officially confirmed to have a starting price of $845,000 in the US, which is the exact amount we were told earlier when we had the opportunity to ride shotgun in some 918 Spyder pre-production test vehicles.
What we didn't know at the time was the cost of the Weissach trim package, which is a high-performance upgrade to the standard vehicle that includes the deletion of some interior amenities and addition of lighter-weight carbon fiber appointments, magnesium wheels, flame-resistant upholstery, racing belts and aerodynamic aids - it's meant for track-going folk who intend to use their 918 Spyders as God, country and manufacturer intended.
All told, the Weissach package should drop the 918 Spyder's curb weight by some 80 pounds, while also lightening your wallet of an additional $84,000 - the car's MSRP with the Weissach package is $929,000. These prices don't, however, include destination charges, which, for something like the very limited edition 918 Spyder (only 918 will be made), could very well cost considerably more than your average Porsche.

Porsche Macan sales may push brand past 200K unit goal early

In late 2010, Volkswagen announced that it would spend the equivalent of $71 billion through 2015 to beef up its product lineup, determined to overtake Toyota in overall sales and profitability by 2018. Each of VW's many brands, in turn, would play its part contributing to a goal of 10 million sales per year. VW-owned Porsche was expected to sell 200,000 vehicles per year by 2018, but with the imminent arrival of the Macan small sport utility vehicle in 2014, the automaker is poised to meet that goal years ahead of schedule, Automotive News reports.
Porsche sold 143,096 cars in 2012, and IHS Automotive predicts Porsche will sell 63,000 Macans in 2014, according to Automotive News, which would make it the brand's best-selling vehicle. Do the math and you can see how Porsche could easily beat original expectations ahead of schedule. But Porsche's sales and marketing boss Bernhard Maier says not so fast: "We will not offer [63,000 Macans] in 2014 as we will still be ramping up production and introducing models top down," he told Automotive News Europe. Whether Porsche surpasses the 200,000 mark early or not, he said, the company will not set a new sales target and will remain committed to its business model.
The Macan shares its architecture with the Audi Q5, but Porsche will be able to charge more for its SUV. Tim Urquhart, a senior analyst at IHS Autmotive, told Automotive News that Porsche can charge 10 to 20 percent more, for what is basically the same SUV, than other VW Group brands. How's that for brand value?

Preserving automotive history costs big bucks

$1.8 million is spent each year to maintain GM's fleet of 600 production and concept cars.
When at least two of the Detroit Three were on the verge of death a few years back, one of the tough questions that was asked of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler execs - outside of why execs were still taking private planes to meetings - was why each company maintained huge archives of old production and concept vehicles. GM, for example, had an 1,100-vehicle collection when talk of a federal bailout began.