Porsche Working On An All-Electric Pajun To Battle Tesla

The 2019 Porsche Pajun (AKA the baby Panamera) has been on and off for some time now, but the latest news was that it was pushed back to 2019. 

Now, a new report from Auto, Motor und Sport claims that there may be more than meets the eye with the upcoming model, asPorsche has reportedly turned its focus to making it more on it being a Tesla competitor.

According to the report, the Pajun will carry a full-electric powertrain that will offer in the range of at least 350 to 400 km (217 to 248 miles). 

That would put the Pajun directly in the wheelhouse of the lower-range Model S versions, but still far short of the2015 Model S P85D’s range. 

Chances are that the range included in this report was simply a base model.

There is no mention of whether or not the Pajun would be solely an electric car or if Porsche may make a standard gasoline-powered model and an EV. However, the German-to-English translation sure does imply that it may be EV only.

According to AMS, the Pajun EV will be ready for the road by 2018 or 2019. As with all of these speculative reports based on some shrivel of fact, take it with a grain of salt.

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Infiniti's Electric Plans Put On Hold

Infiniti is making headlines with cars like the GT-R powered 2014 Q50 Eau Rouge and 2014 Q60 coupe, but before all the performance machines, before Johan de Nysschen and Andy Palmer jumped ship, and before the new naming scheme, the luxury division of Nissan was working on the LE concept. 

A more luxurious version of the then-new Nissan Leaf. Over the years since the debut of the LE, Infiniti has moved its focus to growing the brand with more aggressive and better selling models leaving the electric concept to gather dust.

Now almost three years since it was introduced, USA Today has published a story saying that the project is now officially off the table. 

The news came from the preview event of the Q60 concept reveal at the Detroit Auto Show. Michael Bartsch, Infiniti’s vice president for the Americas, said the company needed “to be a little pragmatic.” A luxury version of the Leaf just isn’t a volume seller like Infiniti needs.

That doesn’t mean an electric powered Inifniti is completely out of the question, but expect Nissan to wait for improved battery tech, and expect the new car to be a bit larger to better compete with the upcoming 2017 Tesla Model 3. 

For now though, just expect more exciting volume models to come from the Japanese luxury brand.

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2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Results and Highlights

After a huge wildfire delayed the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, it has finally had its day in the spotlight, and it did not disappoint. The entire PPIHC was chock-full of craziness and highlights, along with some low-lights worthy of mention.

The biggest highlight of the day was seeing a record set at last year’s race fall. It fell not only once, but twice in only 10 starts. Switzerland’s Romain Dumas – a PPIHC rookie – fired up the hill, completing the course in just 9:46.18 in his 2012 Porsche GT3 RS. This demolished the 9:51.278 record set by Nobuniro Tajima In 2011. Just 10 starts later, Rhys Millen, an 18-year PPIHC veteran, beat Dumas’ time by 0.02 seconds in his 2012 Hyundai Genesis coupe. Yeah, figure that one out; a Hyundai beat a Porsche GT3 RS.

Dejected, Dumas vowed never to race Pike’s Peak again, claiming it is unfair because he raced in rainy conditions, while Millen got a drier track to run on. In all honesty, though, 10 starts just doesn’t seem like a long enough time frame to cause a huge discrepancy in track conditions. We’re calling “Sore loser” on this one. That’s no way to get a good name in the racing world.

A huge low-light in this year’s race is the fact that the 2011 champion and former record holder, Nobuniro Tajima, didn’t even get a shot at the title, as his electric motor burned up. Tajima had a pretty good chance to win the race in back-to-back years, but that was apparently not in the cards this year. We’re sure he’ll be back near the top next year.

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