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Porsche’s Facelifted Panamera May Be Killing Its Last Physical Switches

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Latest prototype confirms Porsche plans tweaks to Panamera’s interior. Console redesign could replace physical climate controls with touchscreen. One of the test cars makes us think the GTS might be getting hybrid power. The facelifted Porsche Panamera is back at the Nürburgring, and while the exterior isn’t giving away many new secrets, the cabin might be. When we last caught the updated Panamera testing in snowy Scandinavia back in January, the focus was on exterior revisions. Camouflage hinted at changes to the lights, bumpers, and driver assistance hardware, but the interior remained hidden from view. This time things are different. The latest prototype appears to feature a revised center console, and the changes could signal the end of one of the Panamera’s more traditional touches. The current model uses a bank of physical toggle switches for climate functions, helping separate it from rivals that have moved almost...
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Which Famous Car Badge Has Lost The Plot The Most?

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Badges that once promised something specific now promise nothing. BMW now stacks six separate levels inside its single M framework. The Eclipse returned as an electric crossover sharing only its name. Names used to be simple. If a car had the word “Turbo” in it, you could bet your bottom dollar there was a snail somewhere on the engine. Today, Porsche uses the name to mark a trim level on vehicles like the Taycan and Macan EV that don’t even have a gas engine, never mind something forcing air into one. Some nameplates follow the same arc. The new Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback EV is a great example. What used to be a genuinely fantastic value in the sport compact market is now little more than a rebadged electric crossover with zero connection to the original beyond the name. Which has us wondering: which automotive moniker has lost the plot the most? Read: The Eclipse You Really Want But Mitsubishi Won’t Touch To...
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$24K For A 63-HP Mazda Kei Car Sounds Steep, Until You See The Gullwing Doors

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A JDM Mazda Autozam AZ1 just went under the hammer at a US auction. The AZ1’s exterior size and 657 cc capacity were limited by kei-car rules. Bidding stalled out, but the gullwing-door micro sold after for $23,500. If someone told you they’d just paid $23,500 for a car with only 63 hp (64 PS) you might assume they’d misplaced a decimal point in one of those figures. But when you see an Autozam AZ1 with its doors aloft, those 63 horses might as well be 600, and the price seems kind of reasonable. This 1992 Autozam AZ-1 recently changed hands on Cars & Bids for a strong $23,500, proving that one of Japan’s strangest sports cars remains one of its most desirable. And unlike many collectible performance cars, the AZ-1 doesn’t rely on big horsepower numbers to win people over. Related: Mazda’s Autozam AZ1 Sports Car Finally Gets The Rotary Power It Deserved Quite the opposite, in fact. The AZ-1 arri...
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