Porsche Cayenne 2011 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.

Green is not just a theme at Geneva. Like chocolate and watches, the Swiss are turning an automotive fad into a phenomenon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.It is one of the first international motor shows to dedicate a “green pavilion” that is allowing carmakers and specialist automotive environment companies to exhibit their wares under one roof.Production ready hybrids, electric concept cars, the electric Mini, the battery powered HydroGen 4 from Opel, a Kia hybrid electric and natural gas car and a city car powered by the latest generation batteries developed by Croatian company Doking are on display. Other companies and some Swiss universities are exhibiting high-tech refueling and recharging stations for tomorrow’s cars.It is the type of ingenuity that is attracting mainstream carmakers too.Two sportscars, the Twenty-4 Le Mans race developed by the same Swiss company, which built the GreenGT electric racer, and the 3.3-litre V6 Quaranta hybrid sportscar developed in 2008 by Italdesign-Giugiaro are also on show. The Twenty-4 Le Mans racer is powered by two electric motors with around 298kW and 2000Nm and weighs less than 900kg. It is expected to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed close to 300km/h.But the green theme is not isolated to one pavilion.Apart from its Quaranta, Italdesign Giugiaro has introduced a family of low environmental impact cars created with Malaysian carmaker Proton. The first Proton concept, uses a hybrid drive system. It is designed to maximise available interior space and ergonomics in a four-seater, five-door hatchback that is just 3.5m long.“This is the outcome of several years of study,” Italdesign chief Giorgetto Giugiaro says. “The solution allows interior spaciousness on a par with that of a D segment car despite maintaining the exterior dimensions of an A segment car.”Finnish electric carmaker Valmet is showing off its Eva 2+2, which it claims can travel up to 160km on one charge and Swiss specialist electric company, Protoscar has the Lampo 2 sportscar. Based on the General Motors Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Lampo 2 uses two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that deliver 300kW/640Nm that enable the light-weight two-seater to hit 100km/h in just 5 seconds and top speed of 200km/h. The car has a range of 200km.Apart from the Europeans, Japan is also showing off some quirky concepts.The Honda 3R-C is a revolutionary one-person battery electric vehicle concept that is making its world debut alongside the EV-N concept, being displayed for the first time in Europe. The three-wheeled 3R-C concept looks to a future when consumers want commuter vehicle for one with zero emissions. The 3R-C uses a battery electric drivetrain mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis. Honda says this allows a low centre of gravity and improved stability.It has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. On the road, the canopy becomes a wind-blocker to protect the driver. The design has a high sided safety shell that provides excellent crash safety as well as protection from the weather. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan.Despite the green tinge to Geneva, petrol power still reins.Porsche’s new Cayenne made its world debut, along with a hybrid version boasting a V8 with the economy of a V6. The car has a parallel hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel economy of 8.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 193g/km, making it the cleanest Porsche in history. Apart from the hybrid, the new petrol Cayennes are expected to be more than 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the previous model.BMW and Lotus are also showing off hybrid models, the ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid  - essentially a very lightly disguised new 5-Series - and Evora 414E hybrid. The Evora shares its 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with the Proton concept. The sportscar also gets two electric motors to drive the rear wheels, delivering 304kW and 800Nm via a single-speed transmission that can mimic upshifts and downshifts of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the third hybrid model unveiled. It follows the ActiveHybrid versions of the X6 and luxury 7 Series sedan.Opel, the European division of General Motors, is showing off its number one prototype of its version of the Chevrolet Volt, called the Opel Ampera.

The car industry uses a web of alliances to survive.Lust, affairs, one-night stands, engagements, marriages and divorces — it can be hard sharing your love. It can also be expensive, especially if the human analogy is applied to the car business.DaimlerChrysler's recent divorce cost the now-solo Daimler AG a cool $33 billion.Daimler and its former partner, now known by her maiden name of Chrysler Group, still share the kids.These include shared components and manufacturing, including the Chrysler Crossfire (based on the previous Mercedes-Benz SLK) and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which uses Mercedes' V6 diesel engine and transmission.Daimler-Benz and Chrysler courted in the late 1990s, sealing their association in 1998 with a new name, DaimlerChrysler.The marriage was mutually beneficial. Daimler gained economies of scale and a new customer for engines, transmissions and an outlet for its old platforms. The previous Mercedes E-Class shares the same platform as the Chrysler 300C.Chrysler gained unprecedented, cost-effective access to the drivetrains used to power its distinctively styled cars.Of the divorce, shareholders of Daimler- Chrysler spitefully said “I knew it wouldn't work”.Marriages may be difficult, but alliances are what keep many car companies afloat.All these inter-relationships are spurred by one goal — profit. So competitive is the car industry that every dollar counts.Making cars cheaper improves profits, even if that means relocating factories to countries with low labour costs, non-existent unions and tax-free government incentives.Few would know that 10 models on the Australian market are made in Thailand. South Africa makes five, there's one from the Czech Republic, three from Slovakia, one from Poland, four from Malaysia and one from Indonesia.Build quality in most cases is as good as you'd expect from a country-of-origin factory.The biggest difference is manufacturing costs. Building a Volkswagen Golf in Germany, for example, costs substantially more than building the same car in South Africa. Sharing components such as engines, transmissions, platforms and bodies with a rival company — or at least one perceived as being a rival — is big business.The platform of the Mazda3 is similar to the Volvo S40 and Ford Focus. Ford has a big chunk of Mazda's shares and owns Volvo outright.The Toyota Aygo, a one-litre hatch soon to be sold in Australia, is built in the Czech Republic with the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. The only differences are interior trim, grilles, head and tail lights. Everything else, except the badge, is identical.General Motors has a giant web of ownership, component sharing and minor shareholdings. It owns Saab and Hummer, and rebadges cars including the Daewoo Matiz as Chevrolets.GM owned 20 per cent of Fiat until it dissolved the relationship in 2005. But retains component sharing deals and owns 50 per cent of Fiat's JTD diesel engine technology.GM also has 3 per cent of Suzuki (it had 20 per cent until selling down in March 2006) and 7.9 per cent of Isuzu.This relationship crosses with Fiat. Suzuki buys Fiat diesel engines for its European cars but also buys diesels from the PSA group (owner of Peugeot and Citroen) and Renault. Fiat this year will also supply diesel engine's to Saab.The Suzuki Splash, to be launched in Europe later this year is based on the Swift/SX4 platform, but will be rebadged the Opel/Vauxhall Agila for European sales.Fiat sells the Suzuki SX4 as the Sedici in Europe.Suzuki also owns 11 per cent of GM-DAT, the Korean-based company that makes the Holden Epica, Captiva, Viva and Barina.GM sold its 20 per cent of Subaru parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, in 2005. Fuji bought back most of the shares, though Toyota bought in and now owns 8.7 per cent of the company.Toyota also owns Daihatsu and has a big stake in Yamaha. Yamaha has an engineering alliance with Toyota — twin-cam engine and multi-valve heads included — and recently created the V8 engine for Ford-owned Volvo.GM also gets its Saab plant in Sweden to make the Cadillac BLS mid-size car, alongside its Saab 9-3 and 9-5.The Hyundai Sonata's 2.4-litre engine is shared with the Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber, Chrysler Sebring and Mitsubishi Outlander.Renault has an alliance with Nissan and owns Samsung (Korea) and has a joint venture with Mahindra (India).Porsche's Cayenne SUV is built in Volkswagen's factory in Slovakia alongside the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. Porsche's Cayman is built in Finland. That's just the tip of iceberg.Peyton Place has nothing on these guys.