Porsche Cayenne News

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.

"The interest in the V6 has been far higher than any expectations we had," Porsche Cars Australia boss Michael Winkler said at the launch of the second-generation Cayenne."I expect V6 sales to be around 30 per cent of all Cayenne sales, or about 150-200 a year."Despite the importance of the V6 none were available to touch or drive at the Australian model launch last week.The official word from PCA was that while customer cars were being delivered to dealers, the test fleet meanwhile could not be prepared in time for the launch.Porsche Australia is also concerned that the strong interest in the V6 will overshadow upgrades to the rest of its range."We wanted to demonstrate the upgrades that the new car has compared with the old model and the way to do that is with ... models that everyone is familiar with, rather than risk confusion and turning it into a six-cylinder launch," Winkler says.For the past couple of years, Porsche Australia has ignored the 3.2-litre V6 model that was available in other markets, concentrating instead on the naturally aspirated and turbocharged V8 models."We held off the previous V6 because by the time it became available in right-hand drive it would have been only 18 months from this model," Winkler says. "We felt that would have been the wrong time (to introduce it)."He believes the availability of the V6 won't diminish the exclusivity of the Porsche brand with annual sales of all models to remain pegged around 1500 cars."We are not looking for record sales but are comfortable with stabilising our business where it is — 1200-1500 cars in a market of potentially one million is exclusive."The V6 Cayenne will sit at the bottom of a three-model range starting at $94,700.The first of the V8 models, the Cayenne S, is $134,500 with the Turbo topping the range at $215,200. Despite the $94,700 sticker price, nobody at Porsche is expecting the V6 — which is powered by a VW family-sourced 213kW, 3.6-litre engine — to leave the showrooms at anywhere near that price."Experience tells us most owners will add accessories to personalise their new cars and with on-road costs, most V6 sales are going to be in the region of $120,000," Winkler says.The Cayenne's styling has been freshened across the range, with new front and bonnet panels, rear styling and light clusters, and with the engines revised for greater power and better fuel economy — and pricing increased by about 5 per cent.The Cayenne S is up by $4600 to $134,500 and the Turbo rises by $8100 to $215,200.A six-speed automatic is standard across the range, with an optional (no cost) six-speed manual available for the V6 and the S.What the V6 misses out on in standard equipment is considerable — if expected at the price — but almost all of that can be remedied through the options list.There is no air-suspension but that, along with the clever active suspension system (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control), can be added for a total of $14,240.The V6 also deletes the 6.5-inch centre console screen and satellite navigation system with the communication package ($7250), multi-function steering wheel ($1180) and a premium Bose CD sound system ($2790). It also runs on 17-inch wheels as standard, while the S and Turbo come with 18-inch rims.New to all three models in the expanded safety package is a rollover sensor which will deploy the curtain airbags ahead of the accident. Stability control and six airbags are also standard. Work under the bonnet for the V8s is considerable. The S engine has had a capacity increase to 4.8-litres and uses variable valve timing and lift on the intake side, boosting power by 33kW to 283kW and torque by 80Nm to 500Nm. Bolt on a pair of turbos and the 4.8 V8 becomes a very serious weapon indeed — with 368kW and 700Nm of urge just waiting for the call.While the S returns a claimed combined fuel figure of 13.7L/100km and a 0-100km/h time of 6.8s, the Turbo's ability to put the same sprint behind in a sportscar-like 5.1 seconds comes at a cost. Claimed fuel economy is 14.9L/100km on combined cycle but you won't see those figures if the car is driven in the manner it demands and deserves.One option that should be compulsory on the shopping list across the range is the rear-view camera, even at a hefty $3590. As with all Porsches worth their badge, it's only behind the wheel that the pain in your wallet eases.All the test cars at the launch were fitted with the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system ... with good reason.As good as the basic Porsche air-suspension is it becomes superb in association with PDCC. Handling here is superb.

The Cayenne V6-powered SUV is on sale now for $97,400.According to Porsche press relations manager Paul Ellis it is the first Porsche under $100,000 for about 20 years and the cheapest in real terms in the company's modern history.However, the vehicle which is tipped to be its most successful was not available to drive at the national launch in the Victorian Alps last week.Ellis said some were in the country for sale, but none was available for the press launch.It seems Porsche in Germany demands they run in press cars before they are released and with limited time available only the Cayenne S ($134,500) and top-of-the-range Cayenne Turbo ($215,200) were chosen for the launch.Ellis said the press vehicles had to be especially flown out for the launch."We have nothing to hide in the V6," Ellis said. "A lot of the marketing will revolve around the V6."Porsche Australia managing director Michael Winkler said they chose the high performance models so it wouldn't "confuse" the press.While the Cayenne S has 283kW of power and the Turbo has 368kW, the V6, called simply the Cayenne, delivers 213kW and weighs 2160kg, which means a power-to-weight ratio of 10.1kg/kW. This compares with the low-output V6 Holden Commodore which has figures of 186kW, 1570kg and 8.4kg/kW.Winkler admitted the V6 Cayenne would be slower than a Commodore but said it would be faster than its competitors.He said the V6 Cayenne had created a lot of interest among customers, especially since it looked almost identical to the Cayenne S.He said supply would be controlled so the V6 did not represent more than 30 per cent of all Cayenne sales, or 150. Cayenne S would be about 50 per cent or 220 and Turbo 20 per cent or 90, he said. Porsche expects SUV sales to reach 460 this year. When released here in 2003, Cayenne was the most popular Porsche, selling 442, compared with 417 911s and 328 Boxsters and Caymans.In its first full year of sales in 2004, it sold 562, compared with 380 for the 911 and 322 for Boxster and Cayman.However, 911 has since climbed back to the top with sales of Cayenne down to 414 in 2005 and 332 last year."We're not interested in setting sales records," Winkler said."We want to remain an exclusive brand and maintain resale value which leads to buyers coming back."Winkler said in the US, customers optioned up the V6 much more than V8 which meant that instead of a 25 per cent price difference it was about eight per cent."I`m not sure if that will happen here." he said.

The six, called Cayenne, will join the V8 Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo in the second-generation line-upThe new base model will be priced at $94,700 and will feature a 3.6-litre V6 engine, delivering 213kW of power and 385Nm of torque. It's fitted to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission and takes 8.5 seconds to go from 0 to 100km/h.The Cayenne S now adds $4600 at $134,500, but has also undergone some significant performance improvements. It now has a 4.8-litre engine, as opposed to the previous 4.5-litre, and produces 33kW more power and 80Nm more torque, with a reading of 283kW and 500Nm.It races from 0 to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds.And the new range-topping Cayenne Turbo now has 368kW, up 37kW and 700Nm, an improvement of 80Nm. The new 4.8-litre V8 with twin exhaust-gas turbochargers is priced at $215,200. It races from 0 to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds.Air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is standard on the Cayenne S and Cayenne turbo and the brake assist function and off-road ABS, called the Porsche Stability Management (PSM), is standard on all models.All models are available in a six-speed tiptronic transmission and the Cayenne and Cayenne S are also available in a six-speed manual transmission.