Porsche Cayenne News

The price premium on Australian-delivered Porsches continues, but things are a changin'. As a result of the soaring Aussie dollar and market pressure, Porsche has now dropped the price of some models -- although we still pay nearly twice as much for a Porsche as a US buyer.Porsche Australia says it cut the prices to remain competitive. They want to double sales here by 2020, which translates into 2500 vehicles. The price cuts range from 7.5 per cent to 13 per cent on 911 sports cars, 5 per cent across the Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe ranges, and 10 per cent off every Cayenne SUV.It means $5500 off the cheapest model, the Boxster convertible (down from $107,000 to $101,500). Significantly, the price cuts equate to some $36,300 discount on the current flagship of the 911 sports-car range, the Carrera 4 Cabriolet ($280,900 to $244,600).The company has also trimmed the price of parts replaced during routine servicing by 25 per cent. Porsche price rises over the past five years have outpaced inflation. In the US, a base model Porsche Carrera 911 is $84,300. Here, the same car goes for $229,400, some of it accounted for in taxes.

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 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.

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.

January/February kicks off with the Turbo version of the 911 and the GT3 race/road car.  An even racier version of the GT3 arrives in April.  Porsche Cars boss Michael Winkler says the GT3RS will be ‘very radical’.  "It will not be the car you want to take home or to get the groceries, but it will be road-registerable," he says."We have orders for 24 already, but I can't even give you a ballpark figure yet on price."  “Production starts in February… if we sell 20-25 I'd be very happy.Also arriving in April is the 911 Sport Classic with three already on order, according to Porsche Australia PR boss Paul Ellis."This is one for the Porsche purists; a tribute to the iconic things we've done with our sports cars," he says.  "It has woven leather seats and a big duck tail which is a tribute to the famous 1973 2.7 RS.  There is a slight bubble in the roof as a salute to the Spyder, it has black five-spoke Fuchs wheels, more power than the Carrera S and manual only highlighting it's for the purist."Also coming in April is the Boxster Spyder which is another niche product with Porsche Australia expecting to sell about 20-30.  It will be limited to one production year like GT2 and GT3.  Meanwhile, the next-generation GT2 arrives toward the end of next year.Winkler says the new Cayenne was also due late next year with a hybrid version.  "As much as 25 per cent of total Cayenne sales could be hybrid but probably more likely about 15 per cent," he says."I would expect hybrid sales would be more a substitution for buying the V8 because of the power it delivers from the combined petrol and electric powertrains."

A luxury European sportscar manufacturer wrapped up production on a highly secretive photo shoot last week in Port Douglas, North Queensland. Traffic control was in place and no one was allowed to see or photograph the reportedly German car, believed to be the new hybrid Cayenne, while the advertisement was being shot at three locations around the expensive resort town.Although location manager Cameron Wood would not speculate on the amount Porsche had spent, he said the photo shoot was the most expensive Australia had seen this year. “These clients come from overseas and spend big amounts,” he said.Five prototypes of the SUV, due to be released to the world in May, were in Port Douglas for the filming. The advertisements will appear in newspapers, luxury car and yachting magazines, car manuals and on billboards around the world.The petrol-electric drivetrain in the Cayenne hybrid comes from the project developed in tandem with Volkswagen, and will also appear in the Touareg, although the Porsche version could have increased capacity and outputs.The Volkwagen version has a 245kW/440Nm 3.0-litre V6 engine (used in the Audi S4) married to a 38kW electric motor, with outputs boosted to 275kW and 550Nm with the two engines working in tandem.In the Touareg, regenerative braking capture charges the 288-volt nickel-metal battery, with its 67kg weight carried at the rear and contained in a metal case for protection. A DC/DC system converts the output to 12v to power airconditioning and other peripherals.The e-motor replaces the starter motor, and in normal driving the torque converter opens for initial acceleration then closes when the SUV is running along. In stop-start driving the clutch restarts the action.The Cayenne is likely to have the Touareg hybrid’s new eight-speed automatic transmission from Aisin, which has been developed to cope with the torque and give a more definite response than would be possible with a continuously variable box. The Porsche hybrid concept on show at Frankfurt was based on the current model, but the production version will be in line with the coming Cayenne.

Based on first impressions and the reaction at this week’s Shanghai Motor Show, the latest Porsche, like the Cayenne, is destined for success.And who can remember when Porsche aficionados criticised the Cayenne for not being a true Porsche?The Panamera has also coped some criticism for moving the brand away from its so-called core values but Porsche is moving with the times.We’ll have to wait several months for the first official drive of the sleek V8 but Porsche insiders say it handles as well as a 911, yet provides a luxury car ride through its adaptive suspension.After its official reveal, showgoers six-deep poured over the car, particularly the rear seat and luggage area and throughout the opening day Porsche executives wore smiles a mile wide as the Panamera clearly became everyone’s favourite.In the flesh, the car is best viewed from the front three quarter, where it looks not surprisingly a lot like the 911.Perhaps the least flattering views are in profile and from the rear, where the car’s high shoulder line and rump tend to give the big sedan a bulky feel.But there’s no denying the roomy cabin.As chief designer Michael Mauer says, the car was designed from the inside out.“It needed to be roomy and I think we’ve achieved those objectives,” he says.Porsche has taken great pains to give the car respectable rear seat leg and headroom. It has succeeded.Slide into either of the two comfy leather rear seats and the overall impression is one of excellent quality and surprising amount of space.The centre console reaches from the dashboard right through the centre of the car, running the full length of the cabin, which means this Porsche is not a five seater.Nor will it ever be available with a conventional rear bench seat, according to Mauer.“If you want a five-seater we have the Cayenne,” he says.The centre console controls around the gearshift have a distinct look of modern mobile phone controls yet the dials are distinctly Porsche with a large rev counter directly in front of the driver.Despite the mark down as a five seater, the two rear seat passengers are pampered with individual heating and air conditioning controls and electrically adjustable seatbacks on the Turbo.Both rear seats flip forward to provide an almost flat load area and the luggage area is big enough and deep enough to hold four suitcases. The large rear hatch is wide and deep, which should allow easy access.Like many upper end European wagons, the Panamera can be specified with an automatic opening and closing boot.Most rear seat occupants up to 2m in height will find the space agreeable and even with a tall person in the driver’s seat there is still plenty of legroom.However, the car’s high shoulder line, although providing a cocooning feel, reduces visibility and the car’s rear three quarter visibility could be a problem for parking.As with all Porsches, the Panamera feels classy and even a cut above even the 911 and Cayenne.It will need to be as one of the big sedan’s key rivals is the lavishly equipped Maserati Quattroporte.Porsche expects to sell about 20,000 a year.But if first impressions are any guide, the Panamera may well break through this barrier.Recession or no recession, they have another winner on their hands.We can’t wait to drive it.