Porsche’s chief executive officer Wendelin Wiedeking has been fired from the German car company.  Wiedeking’s departure is met with that of the company’s chief financial officer, Holge Härter.  The two men were “immediately” retired from their posts after months of falling sales and deepening debt.

Wiedeking has been with Porsche for sixteen years and orchestrated the firm’s expansion into sport-utility vehicles and sedans.  But Wiedeking’s failed attempt to seize a majority stake in VW left Porsche €9,000,000,000 in debt.  Porsche now may become a subsidiary to Volskwagen after being rejected for a state loan.

Wiedeking will leave with a €50,000,000 severance package.  Härter will receive €12,000,000.  Michael Macht, production director, will take the position as company CEO.  Macht, age forty-eight, has been with Porsche since 1990 and has overseen engineering and logistics.

Mercedes has released detailed stats and images of its mightiest four-door ever: the S65 AMG.  The S-class is the Mercedes brand’s largest saloon, and is accompanied with its top-of-the-line features and technology.  With the entry of the twin-turbo AMG 6.0 L V-12, Mercedes has produced the most stunning factory luxo-sport to ever hit the road.

The biturbo 6.0 doles out 604 hp and concrete-drilling 738 ft.-lbs. of torque.  Torque load is made available at low revs, with 420 ft.-lbs. at 1,000 rpm and more than 550 at just 1,500.  In spite of this, max torque has been reduced from the preceding powerplant’s 880+.  Mercedes engineers understood such a thing as too much torque; this was a matter that came to light with even some of the Brabus works. The immense torque requires a heavy-stress transmission to properly manage it; the fancy 7-spd. automatic was not deemed proper for the torque, so the proven 5-spd. SpeedShift  automatic gearbox has been installed.  60 is reached in 4.3 sec.  Top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph.

The S65 utilizes the best AMG has to offer.  Engineers have placed within the powertrain a special air/water intercool system to moderate internal temperature, regardless of outside climate.  Optimized chamber combustion, as the Mercedes PR machine has promoted, adds to the stability of overall engine operation, in spite of high output or aggressive driving.  The emphasis with the S65 is offering nearly limitless power with equally plentiful driver comfort.

The safety arena is a source of further boasting with the S65.  Mercedes offers adaptive braking to provide smooth deceleration on the road or on a course–again, keeping the theme of ease of function.  That same braking system also allows the car to automatically reduce speed in traffic, should driver attention be slow or absent.  Computer-managed body control keeps the car grounded and stable in tight turns or emergency maneuvering.

Pricing for the S65 starts at €186,000.  That figure is high, but there is no other factory-tuned full-size luxury saloon that’s on par with that we’ve seen here.