No go on Diesel

Diesel has no future with Porsche. The German sports-car giant has ruled out the possibility of using diesel engines, but has given a big tick of approval to a hybrid.

The head of vehicle testing and quality at Porsche, Benno Brandlhuber, says a diesel simply doesn't fit the Porsche DNA, but the hybrid is a perfect match.

It will have a hybrid Cayenne in the line-up by 2009 and it is being considered for sales here late that year or early 2010.

"The diesel is heavier than a petrol engine and that extra weight goes on the front of the vehicle, which affects the dynamics in a way that compromises the Porsche driving experience," Brandlhuber says, speaking in Australia at a preview of the updated Cayenne four-wheel-drive wagon.

"It also doesn't have the performance at high revs like the petrol engine, which is so much a part of the Porsche brand.

"Nobody knows what the future will bring. In 15 or 20 years we might have another situation. But we have made the decision right now that the diesel is not for us."

Having ruled out the diesel engine, Brandlhuber says the hybrid is a confirmed part of Porsche's future.

"The hybrid is an interesting concept for us," he says. "We know that in big cities we can achieve a fuel consumption saving of up to 20 per cent and still have the performance that is so important to the Porsche brand.

"When you have the electric motor and the normal engine working together you have a huge acceleration capacity and that fits perfectly with the Porsche DNA."

The demand for a more environmentally friendly 4WD is coming mostly from America, which is one of the most important markets for the German carmaker and helps explain its interest in hybrid technology.

Porsche has been working closely with Volkswagen and Audi on hybrid technology and has a petrol-electric hybrid Cayenne under development and a production introduction date of 2009.

The green Cayenne will use a parallel combination of an electric motor and a V6 petrol engine. The batteries for the electric motor will be placed in the Cayenne's chassis.

L IKE the diesel Porsche has rejected, the hybrid is heavier than a regular petrol-fuelled vehicle, mostly because of the bank of batteries it has to carry.

According to Brandlhuber, the batteries add about 150kg to a regular Cayenne V6 but, unlike the diesel, the weight can be distributed around the vehicle to minimise its effect on dynamics. In the case of the Cayenne, Brandlhuber and his engineering team are working to place the batteries in a way that gets the weight as low as possible and spread around the vehicle.

Porsche Cars Australia managing director Michael Winkler confirms the hybrid Cayenne will be considered for Australia.