In brief: Porsche gets bigger boost

Porsche Panamera. Photo / Supplied

Porsche will sell a power kit for its Panamera turbo, above, that will lift power by 29kW to 403kW and torque to 750Nm thanks to two new turbochargers. Add the Sports Chrono package and you get 800Nm, and a 3.9-second zero to 100km/h sprint.

Super Coyote
Ford Performance Vehicles is set to reveal the supercharged Coyote V8 engine that will be fitted to the Falcon from October's Sydney Show debut. The Aussie-developed Harrop Stealth supercharger hurls 350kW to the rear wheels.

Aggressive approach
Mercedes-Benz says a more aggressive, second-generation CLS will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next month.

Mahindra steps in
SsangYong has turned a corner. Indian SUV specialist Mahindra has taken a controlling interest in the Korean company and there's a new New Zealand distributor which will concentrate on SUVs and utes, all with low-range transmissions.

Parkmobile
The new Hyundai i35 went on sale in Korea this month and arrives here early next year. The sharply-sculpted compact sedan will get a 1.6-litre engine and six-speed auto, plus smart tech like self-parking. Yes, it'll twirl the wheel into that tight space; you just press the brake.

Lighting up
Kia will debut an electric concept car at the Paris Motor Show, using next-generation lithium polymer batteries that are lighter and more compact. The car uses LED lighting and a large panoramic roof.

Kizashi sets speed record
A modified Suzuki Kizashi has set a land speed record at Bonneville with a 327km/h run. The one-off car used a Turbonetics turbo to lift power from 131kW to 383kW, and torque from 230Nm to 698Nm.

800km from one charge
Electric vehicles will travel more than 800km per charge within 10 years says Martin Eberhard, co-founder of the Tesla electric sports car company and now working on compact batteries for VW. He says extended range removes the need for fast charging, and offsets anxiety about range.

Train of events
From 2005 to 2009 there was a road vehicle and train collision every two to three weeks, the 125 impacts resulting in 16 deaths. Most were caused by driver error, not by the train. Our advice? If in doubt, don't. Trains take up to a kilometre to stop.

SADD: 46 teens died
Students Against Drunk Driving says a third of the 138 people killed in alcohol-related crashes last year were aged 15 to 19.

Regular servicing pays off
A British Autocentre survey says 20 per cent fewer cars fail their MOT (Britain's WoF) if they're serviced regularly. The cost of fixing a failure is 37 per cent less for regularly serviced cars.

Australia's CO2 loophole
Australia's proposed CO2 limit for new vehicles could be offset by vehicle mass, so large cars have a higher limit than small ones. Critics point out that encourages car companies to think big rather than building smaller, more efficient vehicles.

Morgan gives you the Eva
Morgan cars has unveiled its new luxury Eva GT sports car. Production begins in 2012.