Porsche Cayenne GTS for Beijing show

The German car maker will officially unveil the second incarnation of its road-focussed SUV at the Auto China motor show in Beijing this month. 

Slotting into the sportscar maker's line-up between the S and the Turbo, the Cayenne GTS sits lower and leaves little doubt about its focus on performance on the blacktop. 

It sales performance is likely to be similarly strong, with the Australian arm of the marque expecting it to become the top-selling petrol-powered Cayenne model and second only to the Cayenne diesel model overall.

Porsche calls it "the SUV with the driving fun of a sports car" and sports an engine and suspension upgrade as well as additional features to give the GTS it's own look. 

The GTS packs a 309kW/515Nm (up from 294kW and 500Nm) upgraded V8 engine, based on the 4.8-litre Cayenne S power unit (with a fuel-saver stop-start system) delivering drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

The two-tonne Cayenne GTS still manages the sprint to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds (02. quicker than the S) and (if you were on a racetrack) it claims a 13.3 second sprint to 160 km/h (a 0.6 sec improvement) and a 261km/h top speed. Fuel consumption is a claimed 10.7 litres per 100km, up from 10.5 in the standard S. 

The GTS also differs from the mainstream Cayenne by way of the 24mm-lower sports-tuned suspension, aimed at providing more dynamic road manners via the Porsche Active Suspension Management, as well as a cabin trim upgrade by way of sports seats and plenty of leather and alcantara. 

The Turbo has donated some bits for the GTS snout, while the sports model also has glossblack trim bits, deeper sideskirts, wider wheelarch flares and a double-deck rear roof spoiler. Anyone with the available funds can place an order - the GTS starts from $164,900 - with the first cars set for September delivery dates.