Porsche AG announced Feb. 16 that the name for its upcoming compact crossover will be Macan. The name is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger, which the company says bestows an image of “suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics – core characteristics of the new off-road car,” Bernhard Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, said in a release.

“The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in very many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations,” he said. Until now the new model had been referred to as Cajun, which is pronounced KAI-yune, for Cayenne Junior.

 The Macan will be the fifth Porsche model, due for production in 2013 at the Leipzig, Germany, plant.

 Word names at Porsche have a concrete connection with the corresponding model and its characteristics, the company says. The name Boxster describes the combination of boxer engine (horizontally opposed pistons) and roadster, Cayenne stands for sharpness, the Cayman is snappy and agile and a Panamera is more than a Gran T

The Porsche Macan's name comes from the Indonesian word for tiger.

urismo, capable also of winning the Carrera Panamericana long-distance race.

The 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC is the fastest and most powerful car in the Maserati lineup. With an infusion of performance from the company’s Maserati Corse race division, pricing starts at $143,400.

A car for the senses and a sensation for the driver: New car test: 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC and Gran Cabrio Sport

“My Maserati does 185 …” and you probably can sing along to the “Life’s Been Good” hit by Joe Walsh. That was from his wild and crazy days when he could afford to lose his license.

And the reworked 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC is the fastest and most powerful car in the Maserati lineup. With an infusion of performance from the company’s Maserati Corse race division, the coupe will do 187 mph and 0-60 mph in an easy 4.8 seconds – and probably quicker, the company says.

The GranTurismo has an organic strength to its hands-on driving experience. There is richness to the leather and an interior that is largely hand assembled by workers who, seemingly, care about their craft. It is the charge that comes from turning the ignition key and just hearing the launch of the cylinders and then the exhaust as it rolls out in even syncopation in praise of premium fuel.

There is richness to the leather and an interior that is largely hand assembled by workers who, seemingly, care about their craft.

Pricing for the coupe starts at $143,400, including $1,700 gas-guzzler tax and $1,800 freight from Modena. And that’s value packaging, which includes almost $14,000 in accessories, such as a carbon fiber steering wheel and interior trim, MC autoshift transmission, black grille and Alcantara headliner.

Dealers were ordering the standard GT S model with almost $14,000 in options and customers were buying it, Allan said. The well-optioned cars were selling eight days faster than lesser-equipped cars.

Growth year, not boom times
Despite the economy, Maserati had a good 2010, which allowed it to add performance models to its coupe and convertible. The Quattroporte sedan is carryover.

Last year Maserati sold 2,035 cars in the U.S. and 10,000 worldwide, which isn’t such a trifle in this super-luxury segment. With starting prices of $100,000, this market has stayed flat or is down a bit, while the high-luxury segment ($70,000) went up, the company says.

The marque has experienced the best success yet of the four-seat, two-door Grand Turismo and it also was the most profitable year with costs being brought under control. “We’re back and doing quite well,” said Rob Allan, director of product planning for Maserati.

New for 2012, Maserati has stepped up all cars to the 4.7-liter V-8 and has done away with the 4.2-liter. Most customers were buying the 4.7 anyway, Allan said.

Upgrades from the standard model include: reworked aerodynamic package, MC six-speed autoshift transmission, single-rate suspension, the upgraded 444 hp (a 10 hp boost) V-8 engine, sport exhaust and carbon fiber interior trim.

When you hear this car, the sound will become synonymous with a Maserati. At high revs, lighter mufflers with a hinged bypass let out a wail from deep within that reminds of a Formula 1 racer.

Aerodynamic enhancements include a front bumper with integrated chin splitter, side skirts that blend into the front fenders with air intakes at the trailing edge. The rear has a redesigned bumper fascia and sport exhaust repositioned a bit inward that sends a serious message. A lip spoiler on the deck lid is huge in Maserati’s opinion but just a subtle kick-up to everybody else. New, black 20-inch wheels integrate the Maser trident.

All the aero treatments aid down-force and stability at high speeds, Maserati says, but also fuel economy. The wheels and lighter exhaust system saved 10 and 12 pounds each, but the steel-bodied car is heavy at 4,145 pounds.

More power

There's beauty to the beastiliness of the 444-hp, V8-powered GT MC.

Even with more power, including 375 foot-pounds of torque, engine refinements have increased fuel economy by 6 percent. Not that a Maser owner is overly concerned about mileage, but the savings converts to $400 less on the gas-guzzler tax, now $1,700. The six-speed transmission seems yester-tech when competitors are going to seven- and eight speeds, but it is the best six-speed by manufacturer ZF, Allan said. Another gear or two would increase highway fuel economy, but the ratios were appropriate for around town and performance driving.

The Maserati Stability Program (MSP) system is always active in the background, but it never got in the way when I was pushing hard up the backside of county Route S22 from Borrego Springs. It was 110 degrees in the desert and I was in second and third gears, lunging from corner to corner, occasionally hitting the rev limiter. While the Maser’s air conditioner was challenged the engine did not overheat and not once did I sense braking or throttle intervention. The car had more to give, but I was at my limit.

Braking force is absolute from 14.96-inch steel-aluminum vented front rotors with six-piston calipers and rear 14.7-inch steel, vented discs with four-piston calipers.

This is not a car that feels as if it just rolled off a robotized assembly line and has been electronically sanitized for mainstream consumption. The GranTurismo MC is a car for the senses and a sensation for the driver.

Volkswagen of America released photos of the redesigned 2013 Volkswagen CC four-door coupe, which will have its public debut during media days at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nov. 16 and 17. It will go on sale in the U.S. this spring.

The 2013 CC will have more standard equipment, including Bi-Xenon headlights with the Adaptive Front Lighting System and LED taillights.

The midcycle “refresh” includes new front and rear styling and more standard equipment, including Bi-Xenon headlights with the Adaptive Front Lighting System and LED taillights.

The CC debuted four years ago and nearly 270,000 cars have been sold around the world since then.

The auto show, in the downtown LA Convention Center, is open to the public from Nov. 18 and 27.

This slightly tattered 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo, stripped of its engine, was seized for return to the insurance company, which owns the title.

The CBP announced Oct. 25 that the Outbound Enforcement Team at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered the car in a container to be exported to the Netherlands.

In a check of the Vehicle Identification Number, it was learned the vehicle was reported stolen Las Vegas in Nov. 1988.

The seized vehicle’s manifest was valued at $12,552, but Customs import specialists pegged the value – without the engine – at about $27,552.

The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, with a new lithium-ion battery, is now available in two models for ordering in 14 launch states, with deliveries beginning in spring, 2012.

The base model has a starting price of $32,760 and the Prius Plug-in Advanced starts at $40,285, including the $760 freight charge from Japan. Both models are expected to qualify for a federal tax credit of approximately $2,500.

The plug-in model is based on the third-generation Prius Liftback and has extended electric vehicle range. It can be driven on battery power up to 15 miles at a maximum speed of 62 mph. Toyota expects an estimated 87 MPGe – miles per gallon equivalent – and a combined 49 mpg city/highway fuel economy in hybrid mode.

Special design features for the plug-in model include chrome grille and bumper trim, chrome door handles, unique 15-inch alloy wheels and blue-accented headlights.

Charging a depleted battery will take 2½ to 3 hours using a standard 120-volt outlet or 1½ hours using 240-volt.

Special design features for the plug-in model include chrome grille and bumper trim, chrome door handles, unique 15-inch alloy wheels, blue-accented headlamps, a distinct tail lamp design and a new Hybrid Synergy Drive Plug-in badge.

Standard equipment includes heated front seats, remote air conditioning system (which can run off the grid while the vehicle is plugged in or off the battery), a charger timer, EV-ECO-Power driving modes, three-door Smart Key, audio display screen with navigation, rearview camera and Entune multimedia system.

The Advanced model adds such extras as HDD Navigation with Entune and JBL GreenEdge amplifier and “acoustic lens” speakers, head-up gauge display, dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision system, Softer (leatherette-like) upholstery and eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat. There also are smartphone applications for charge management, remote air conditioning activation, charging station map, vehicle finder and Eco dashboard.

Orders can be placed at http://www.toyota.com. The launch states include California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

Charging a depleted battery will take 2½ to 3 hours using a standard 120-volt outlet or 1½ hours using 240-volt.

The 429-hp, Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec sedan is a halo model with global aspirations, but this car is no angel.

The 5.0 R-Spec has a tuned suspension that feels like BMW; it has the commanding substance of Mercedes-Benz; and the millimeter-tight assembly for which Lexus is known.

To these positive similarities, the Genesis adds a big, booming presence that is unique to this car. It is a collection of advanced Hyundai engineering, of which only Genesis owners are aware. The 5.0 R-Spec is an engaging sport sedan, but not a threat or comparison to cars from BMW M, Mercedes’ AMG or Audi’s S line.

You will like Hyundai’s sport treatment if you lease a sedan but want added style and performance without voiding the warranty.

And while the Hyundai Genesis may be the most unrecognized sedan on the highway, it is also the biggest full-size bargain, too. The Genesis line starts with the 333-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 and moves up to the 385-hp, 4.6-liter V-8 and on to the 5.0 R-Spec. Base pricing starts at $35,050, $45,350 and $47,350. The test car was $47,385, with just one option for a $35 iPod cable.

That additional $10,000 to $16,000 buys a badge of renown, when the Genesis doesn’t even have a badge in the grille. But what it does have, the owners will brag about.

For a gallery of the Genesis 5.0 R-Spec http://veh.cl/31w

The 429-hp, Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec is a bargain sport sedan that exceeds expectations in almost all ways. Pricing starts at $47,350, but the standard equipment list includes just about everything, except an iPod cable.

R-Spec features include a navigation system, moonroof, proximity key lock/unlock and push-button starting, Lexicon 17-speaker audio system, headlights with dark chrome inserts, perforated heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, embroidered floor mats and three paint colors Black Noir, Titanium Gray, and Platinum Metallic, each with black leather interior and black leather, multifunction steering wheel.

Competitors such as the entry-level, six-cylinder versions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class or BMW 5-Series have starting prices of $51,365 and $45,925, respectively.

The exterior styling is “traditional” and won’t offend, but the interior dimensions are excellent: Front headroom is a little more than 40 inches and front legroom is long at 44.3 inches. The raised back seats are richly comfortable and rear legroom is limo-like at 38.6 inches.

The interior is contemporary and upscale with no stodgy, dark wood trim. The R-Spec’s ultra-leather treatment is tender to the touch and aromatic as a tack room of English saddles.

Sightlines are good even without the rearview camera and the advanced tech features assist without interfering: Lane departure warning, smart cruise control.

Slam the doors, rock the throttle and let the R-Spec’s 429-horses run. The response isn’t what you might expect of this Korean carmaker. The aluminum, 5.0-liter V-8 is highly engineered with direct injection and the other usual, power-enhancing suspects, including dual continuously variable valve timing.

Wield this rear-drive ax through a corner, and it brings a smile – not that it could do it, but that it does it so well. Ride quality is firm but not harsh and it performs well on all surfaces. Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position summer rubber on 19-inch wheels gives a hefty stance. And behind them are 13.6-inch vented, four-piston front discs at the front and 12.4-inch, four-pot solid discs rear.

With an eight-speed Shiftronic transmission, fuel economy on the highway is a respectable 25 mpg on premium fuel, which is required for peak performance. The Genesis matches or beats the mpg of the competition and it has more power.

The transmission has a manual shift-gate, which sharpens performance to a Sport mode. But there is no dedicated Sport mode to enjoy the quickened pace. The quicker response is available only in the manual shift mode. The standard Drive setting isn’t dull, but at times when the hammer goes down, there’s a long second of communication before the engine clears its throat and roars.

The 5.0 R-spec is a hunk of power, but it is well executed for American-class comfort and drivability.