Porsche Cayenne 2010 News

As the new global boss of VW promises to compensate customers for a loss in resale value, lawyers are lining up in Australia to represent more owners of cars with software that can cheat diesel emissi

Porsche’s next generation four wheel drive flagship due in 2017 will take advantage of weight savings and safety gains from a new platform while gaining new styling inspired on Porsche’s entry level SUV.The new MLB platform is shared with Audi’s upcoming Q7, Lamborghini’s and Bentley’s planned four wheel drives and the next generation Volkswagen Touareg. The modular architecture will allow weight savings of more than 100kg. An increase in torsional rigidity and safety is also expected. Importantly, the modular structure will keep costs down by spreading development costs across a large number of models in VW Group’s portfolio.Stylistically, Porsche’s familiar DNA continues, with wide wheel arches and oval headlamps. But the new look Cayenne will borrow its smaller sibling’s cues, with a clam shell bonnet and rising creased shoulder line running the length of the sides.Engines are likely to be revised versions of the current power plants, raising the output from 221kW V6, 294kW V8 in the Cayenne S, and flagship V8 Cayenne Turbo delivering a stonking 368kW. Carry over V6 Diesel with 179kW, and 279kW V6 petrol-electric hybrid power plants are also expected to continue. But those who don’t want to wait until 2017 for a new Cayenne will be happy to hear that next year we’ll see a facelift of the current model, intended to keep the SUV looking fresh until the next generation arrives.

The ocean is full of surprises, and some Chinese fishermen got a huge one when they found a Porsche in their nets.  The Cayenne SUV – which sells from around $110,000 here – was landed while the crew was recently fishing off the Coast of Beihai. The Cayenne was covered in seaweed and barnacles, with its state pointing to it having been underwater for at least two years according to experts called in to assess it. Reports on CarNewsChina.com suggest that the waters and coastal areas around Beihai are a hotspot for smugglers bringing in luxury goods to escape the huge import tariffs China imposes. It’s believed the smuggler possibly pushed the Porsche overboard after spotting a customs patrol.  The vehicle, which would have netted the smuggler a sizable profit, sold to a Beihai scrap metal dealer for 4000 yuan ($650).  

Sometime in the near future Porsche will be introducing a mid-cycle update to its Cayenne, with the updated SUV most likely being introduced for the 2015 model year. The update will include the typical retouches to the bumpers and lights, as well as some technical changes, the most significant of which will reportedly be a new plug-in hybrid option. We’ve previously told you that the Cayenne, as well as the Panamera, will be receiving a plug-in hybrid option at some point. But now it's tipped that the option will be introduced in calendar year 2014 along with the SUV’s mid-cycle update. The Panamera is expected to soon follow with a plug-in hybrid option, though its system will be used to power only the rear wheels while the Cayenne will stick with all-wheel drive Porsche will be calling its plug-in hybrid system an ‘e-hybrid,’ and a preview of the technology was recently showcased in the Panamera Sport Turismo concept at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. Porsche’s e-hybrid system is an advanced development of the parallel full hybrid the automaker already implements today in the Cayenne S Hybrid and Panamera S Hybrid models. The e-hybrid’s electric motor currently produces about 69 kilowatts, and is matched to a supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 engine producing 245 kilowatts on its own. Working together, the two power sources can accelerate a vehicle the size of the Cayenne in around 9.5 seconds km/h or less. Motor Authority  

The hybrid S will cost $159,900, putting it in the middle of the five-model Cayenne lineup. The newcomer has about more standard equipment, worth about $12,000, sportier performance than before and fuel saving reductions of up to 23 per cent. It is powered by a supercharged 245kW 3.0-litre V6 and a 34kW electric motor with a combined torque output of 580Nm from 1000 revs. It uses just 8.2 litres/100km, has CO2 emissions of 193 g/km and can be driven for short distances at speeds up to 60km/h on electric power only. Porsche Cars Australia spokesman, Paul Ellis, expects strong interest in the green wagon. "But it's a completely new area for us," Ellis says. "We've never had a hybrid performance car before." However, he is confident that up to 15 per cent of all Cayennes sold here will be hybrid. "Our customers are waiting to see and drive this new technology," he says. The Cayenne traditionally makes up between 35 per cent and 45 per cent of total Porsche sales locally. "I'd expect this figure to carry over to the new car," Ellis says. "However, prices have risen only marginally and we're putting more equipment into the cars. This could mean exceptionally strong sales for the first year." Cayenne prices have gone up 1 per cent, ranging between $1500 and $2700 depending on the model. The lineup will open with the V8 Cayenne S, the V6 Cayenne S Hybrid and twin-turbocharged V8 Cayenne Turbo. A V6 petrol and V6 turbo-diesel arrive in August to complete the five-model line-up. The range gets a new eight-speed tiptronic gearbox, extra-light all-wheel drive system and a weight reduction of up to 180kg, depending on the model. PricesCayenne V6 petrol $103,500Cayenne V6 diesel $104,500Cayenne S $147,900Cayenne S Hybrid $159,900Cayenne Turbo $239,900

Europe is back in business, celebrating the end of the global financial crisis that rocked the car world and drove the biggest of them all - General Motors - into bankruptcy.There were green shoots of happiness at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, but this week's Geneva Motor Show shows the same sort of excitement and promise of an early spring morning in Europe.Every carmaker has something new in Geneva, from full-blown production models to quirky concepts. The Swiss show is often dismissed as a sideshow but this time, with 25 new models as diverse as the Nissan Micra and Porsche Cayenne, there is serious action on every front.Carmakers are predictably focussed on green solutions to meet the challenges of fuel economy and CO2 emissions - with Fiat even showing a tiny two-cylinder engine for its funkoid 500 - but there is also room for fun.  How else do you describe a Honda city concept that looks like a 20th-century take on the unicycles used by Circe du Soleil acrobats?But even the green machines have turned mean as Ferrari shows its 599 Vettura Labratorio hybrid, although BYD from China balanced things with its fully-electric E6 hatch.Porsche also has its 918 supercar concept and both it and the Ferrari tap Formula One technology with KERS hybrid packs - that's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - to store energy for a quick, explosive boost of extra power.Porsche plans to put the 918 into production but, as yet, Ferrari is only using the super-special 599 - painted symbolically in green instead of the Italian brand's signature red - as a rolling labratory.  "We want to understand how to use this technology. We are not yet at the point to see it in a road going Ferrari," says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's CEO.The upbeat mood at Geneva is captured by the top man at Bentley, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, who says the reaction to his company's Mulsanne and Supersports models has filled him with confidence after a shocking 2009.  "There is a feeling that it is behind us," Paefgen says as super-wealthy Bentley buyers emerge from their GFC-proof bunkers.Walking the stands at Geneva I see green machines that are more than just concepts and plenty of choices for small-car buyers, from budget hatches to baby prestige cars like the Audi A1.  The little Audi gets a rousing reception, Volvo wins praise for the safety and styling of the new S60 sedan and the Alfa Giulietta - replacement for the 147 - raises more questions about the often-promised renaissance for the brand.Lexus shows a compact new CT200h hybrid that brings petrol-electric power to a new group of buyers, Mini has the Countryman with extra ground clearance and the basics for a World Rally Championship challenge in 2011, and the Mitsubishi ASX crossover - test driven this week by Peter Lyon near Tokyo - heads the Japanese contingent.For Alfa fans, the Giulietta is pitched at the Volkswagen Golf with a range of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.  BMW’s new 5 Series and a 4-litre six-cylinder X5 diesel creates a predictable buzz among SUV fans.Kia’s head of design, Peter Schreyer, lifts the wraps off the stylish new Sportage, which is due in Australia later this year, with the promise of both turbodiesel and petrol engines, as well as front and all-wheel drive.  The Sportage could be major hit for the Korean brand, matching the impact of the Hyundai ix35, when it goes on sale with an opener in the sub-$30,000 bracket.Ford leverages the first European appearance of its new Focus hatch in Geneva by unveiling the Focus wagon, which at this stage is a Europe-only car. Europeans are big wagon buyers and the wagon is expected to account for one-third of all Focus sales there.But the Focus wagon is only the halfway point - the fifth of 10 proposed models - using the same basic building blocks and the future includes a Focus electric car. Currently, the wagon, hatch, sedan and C-Max and Grand C-Max all share the same underpinnings.“We are now using our global resources to develop cars for all countries, including Australia,” says Ford's technical chief, Derrick Kuzak.  He also reveals the current Europe-only Kuga compact SUV and North American Escape will be replaced by a single global car, which could head to Australia, and hints that a hot performance Focus with a more-powerful version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo engine will also be available in Australia.Lexus uses Geneva to showcase its critically important CT 200h hybrid, which it hopes to become a volume player.  But the CT 200h is not the only car to push the green theme at the affordable end.Hyundai has the stylish turbocharged 1.7-litre i-flow concept sedan, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack with six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it is joined by the ix35 FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell car and Opel’s Flextreme GT-E.Apart from Ferrari, Porsche shows off its GT3 R Hybrid - also with KERS - and 918 Spyder, both exploring the outer limits of hybrid drivetrains for race and road cars.  The Cayenne, along with the VW Touareg, share their hybrid debuts as Audi uses the first appearance of its baby A1 to reveal a full-electric E-tron concept that joins earlier R8-based plug-in supercars.Apart from the conventional petrol and diesel A1, Audi also adds the RS5 coupe to its A5 lineup and a hybrid A8 sedan. The RS5 gets a powerful 335kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8, quattro all-wheel drive and seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox.Like the BMW-built Mini, Audi has several distinctly styled A1s on its stand. It says owners will have access to so much customisation that no two A1s will be exactly the same.Audi has the Mini firmly in its sights with an expected starting price around $33,000 for the A1, with a three-door car to kick of sales with a five-door and cabrio expected. The range-topper is expected to be an S version with a performance-tuned turbo four cylinder engine.Citroen springs one of the few real surprises of the show with its hot-pink Survolt sportscar while Giugiaro teams up with Proton to deliver a stylish hybrid city car.  The Survolt is a pure design fantasy with no likely production expected. The showcar did not even have an engine and Citroen says it has been designed to go electric.Apart from the sleek Citroen, two Italian styling houses - Pininfarina and Bertone - have show cars based on Alfa Romeo mechanical parts. Bertone returns to Geneva for the first time in two years with the Pandion 2+2 concept coupe and Pininfarina shows the two-seater 2uettottanta.Apart from the twin concepts, Citroen has the DS3 Racing as well as its DS High Rider three door, a pointer to the next-generation C4, which is due to be launched next year as a five-door.  The company will only build 1000 versions of the DS3 racing and the head of local importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, says he would like to bring a few to Australia but will initially focus on launching the DS range.“It certainly is a good looking thing,” Crichton says.  Mercedes-Benz continues to create a buzz at Geneva with its SLS Gullwing supercar but the F800 Style, a pointer to the next-generation CLS minus its cantilever rear doors, dominates the Mercedes stand and shares the limelight with the E-Class cabriolet.Fitting in the quirky category in Geneva is Aston Martin’s Cygnet hatch, a remake of Toyota’s iQ city car. The $50,000 makeover model will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers.  Aston Martin boldly has the Cygnet right next to its four-door flagship sports car, the Rapide.

The Cayenne SUV has been the money machine for Porsche since it was introduced, tapping straight into the worldwide drive for luxury four-wheel drives. It even funded development of the company's core cars, the 911s, and built the base which has ensured the success of the Boxster and Cayman. Now it is heading for its first total model change and prototypes were caught this week in cold weather testing in Europe by photographers from the Carparazzi agency. The pictures show Cayennes which are close to final production specification, pointing to a preview at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October and sales in the first half of 2010. Details of the Cayenne are still a closely-guarded secret but early rumours that Porsche would go its own way, ending the collaboration with Volkswagen that created the Cayenne and Touareg as twins, is wrong. Porsche will still use the basic body of the second-generation Touareg but company chief, Wendelin Wiedeking, is committing to getting his car on the road first. Looking at Volkswagen Group timing, that points to a new Touareg in the second half of 2010 and a replacement for the giant Audi Q7 early in 2011. The new Cayenne is absolutely vital to Porsche. "It is the vehicle that provides the cash for us to create the world's best sports cars," says the spokesman for Porsche Cars Australia, Paul Ellis. "It is the backbone of sales in Australia. Around 40 per cent of our sales are Cayennes." Production of the original Cayenne has just topped 200,000 cars, with the landmark car running down the production line in Germany last week. It has been built since 2002. There are currently five Cayenne models, from the basic V6 to the Turbo S, with a diesel-powered car also in the works. The all-new Cayenne is expected to have a similar lineup but will also be the base for Porsche's first hybrid vehicle.  

Though it had ruled out a diesel — once saying: "a Porsche that doesn't rev beyond 5000rpm isn't a Porsche" — the change of mind was spurred by new European tax incepntives for diesel vehicles.It was further swayed by its majority shareholding in one of the world's biggest diesel-engine makers, Volkswagen.From next year the Cayenne will be offered with an Audi-derived 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with 176kW and 550Nm of torque. It is fitted only to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission.Porsche claims 9.3 litres/100km and 244g/km of CO2 emissions.It is the second Audi engine to be fitted to the Cayenne after last year's launch of the 3-litre petrol V6 and now brings to four the SUV's engine options.Porsche will also make the Cayenne with a hybrid powertrain from 2010.In a statement, Porsche revved up the diesel by stating: "The spontaneous throttle response and high torque characteristics of this diesel engine deliver the required performance levels for an athletic all-terrain vehicle such as the Cayenne." 

In a swiftly changing motoring environment carmakers are searching for new ways to cut fuel use and emissions and improve efficiency.Among the hundreds of concepts and new and updated models on display at the Paris motor show over the next 15 days are some definite standouts. Renault has combined gull-wing doors, comfort, refinement and a slippery design with a hybrid diesel engine and plonked it all on massive 23-inch wheels in its range-topping Ondelios concept car (cover picture).It's 4.8m long and has a hybrid 150kW version of the 2.0-litre dCi engine.There are also two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear to provide extra boost recovered during braking.Mercedes is unveiling one of the world's fastest cabriolets. The SLR McLaren Roadster 722S has 478kW of power and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 335km/h.Just 150 of the two-seater supercars will be built. It complements Mercedes' other show star the ConceptFascination, a wild two-door sportswagon. It's a modern version of the old British “shooting-brake” where a wagon tail has been planted on a sporty saloon.Citroen's crossover concept, Hypnos, hasa 150kW engine that boasts miserly fuel efficiency figures of 4.5-litres per 100km.However, it what's inside that is different. An extremely colourful rainbow light show highlights its sleek styling.Honda is using the Paris show to highlight its green commitment. Star of its stand is the new Insight Concept, a dedicated petrol-electric hybrid car in the vein of Toyota's Prius.It is expected to go into production within the next few years.From the US, GM will debut a close to production version of its revolutionary Volt electric car. Chevrolet is showing its new crucial small car the Cruze, plus its first seven-seat multi-purpose family car, the Orlando show car.A form of SUV-family van and wagon crossover, it has a 2.0-litre diesel engine.Alfa Romeo is unveiling its little MiTo compact which is due to come to Australian the middle of next year.Fiat is showing the MiTo's likely competitor in the super-mini category, the 120kW 500 Abarth EsseEsse (SS) plus its PUR-O2 eco-range of cleaner, greener 500s. New technology includes the ability for the engine to turn itself off while idling and back on to continue driving.Mini will show its all-wheel-drive Crossover Concept, while BMW will premiere its X1 wagon. The Mini is intended for adventurous twenty-somethings, while the Concept X1 will go into production as a safe, practical family car.Chasing a similar small, sporty car market is Audi with its new A1. The near-production version will be a feature of its stand.Saab is exhibiting its 9-X Air concept car, while Volvo is debuting its production-ready ultra-safe XC60 crossover which is headed for Australia.Porsche has several new models in the911 range plus the go-anywhere Cayenne S Transsyberia super-4WD.Mazda's all-new Kiyora urban compact four-cylinder concept car will sit alongside the world debut of production cars, the new generation MX-5, the Mazda6 with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine and the Mazda2 1.6-litre diesel.Lamborghini has joined the rush to GT supercars with its four-door Estoque concept.Like Porsche's Panamera, Maserati's Quattroporte and Aston Martin's upcoming four-seater, the Estoque, brings a new versatility to one of the world's most uncompromising sports marques.Lamborghini stresses that although there are no production plans for the AWD Estoque it has been developed as fully production capable.Toyota has three world premiere vehicles ranging from its little four-seater city car, the iQ, to the all-new Avensis sedan and wagon and the 1.4-litre diesel-engined Urban Cruiser All Wheel Drive.Ford is debuting the all-new Ka city car with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litrediesel engines, the hot Focus RS and the new economic Fiesta.Volkswagen will show off its latest Golf GTi. The hot hatch for 2009 is cleaner, smoother and much more refined than earlier cars.It will still come with a 155kW turbo petrol engine and the promise of a 7.2-second sprint to 100km/h, but is missing the wild body bits of earlier GTi road runners.Nissan's debuting Nuvu concept is just three-metres long. It only has two normal seats plus a third that folds down for luggage and groceries. The city car has solar panels on the glass roof.Ferrari will debut its chic two-seater V8 California sports car.From Korea will come Hyundai's i20 small car and a 2.4-litre engined hybrid SUV.Kia is showing its Soul range of urban crossover concepts that come with either petrol or diesel engines. There's also a hybrid version. Additional reporting by Kevin Hepworth and Paul Gover.