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The German car-maker Porsche quietly unveiled its popular SUV Cayenne with Diesel engine option in Europe, where it will go on sale in February 2009. This news came as a big surprise as Porsche has always had a tough time sticking to their guns when it comes to not using diesel engines. In fact, Porsche has never in its 60-year history used a Diesel engine, except for its tractors!
Porsche's stake in the Volkswagen Group, the world's largest manufacturer of modern diesel engines for passenger cars, has opened up new opportunities to utilize diesel technology and everything else from other giants like Audi and Lamborghini(which are VW subordinates).
The Cayenne has always been appreciated for its SUV size and Sports-car performance, the only drawback had been its poor fuel economy, well not anymore! Audi's 3.0 liter V6 Turbo Diesel engine will power the Cayenne diesel, it will produce 240Bhp and Max torque rating of 405 lb-ft and a 25 mpg (11.3 kpl) fuel economy. The all-important (in Europe) CO2 emissions number is 244g/km. A Tiptronic-S gearbox will transmit power to all four wheels. There are no visual changes to distinguish it from the petrol powered Cayenne, unless you open the hood to look where the engine cover is embossed with "3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel Injection".
Porsche will introduce Cayenne Diesel now in European markets only, but it will later introduce it in other markets, even India. Porsche said that the decision to introduce a diesel variant of the Cayenne "was taken in response to changed legal regulations especially in European markets, resulting in tax incentives for vehicles with diesel engines."
The fuel-efficient model won’t be offered in India initially, but the company said in the press release (below) “preparations for market introduction in other countries are underway.” That means there’s a distinct possibility the SUV could be offered in India at some point in the future. A potential time frame is not yet known, but we wouldn’t expect to see the SUVs in dealerships before early 2010. Also worth the mention is the fact that the Cayenne is India's largest selling Porsche. A Diesel version (once released) will sell like hot cakes!
The Porsche Cayenne Diesel will be available in European markets from February 2009 at the base price of around €56,436 and would be Rs.65Lakhs+ in India (considering the exorbitant import duty and other taxes).
Porsche Cayenne Diesel Image Gallery:
PRESS RELEASE >
Premiere at Porsche: Cayenne with diesel engine
Stuttgart: The Executive Board at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has given the go-ahead: from February 2009, the sports car manufacturer will offer a Cayenne with a diesel engine and thus extend its range of drives for the sporty all-terrain vehicle further, once again. This decision was taken in response to changed legal regulations especially in European markets, resulting in tax incentives for vehicles with diesel engines. Furthermore, Porsche's stake in the Volkswagen Group, the world's largest manufacturer of modern diesel engines for passenger cars, has opened up new opportunities to utilise diesel technology.
Porsche will equip the Cayenne with a three-litre V6 turbo diesel engine with 240 hp (176 kW) supplied by Audi AG, a subsidiary of the VW Group. The average consumption of the Cayenne Diesel is 9.3 litres per 100 kilometers, with CO2 at 244 grams per kilometer. The spontaneous throttle response and the high torque characteristics of this diesel engine deliver the required performance levels for a sporty all-terrain vehicle such as the Cayenne. The substantial torque of a maximum of 550 Newton metres complements the sporty chassis dynamics and provides a high degree of control to offer driving enjoyment that is typical of Porsche.
In response to customer demand, the new Cayenne model will initially be offered in Europe. Preparations for market introduction in other countries are underway.
The Porsche Executive Board is confident that it will maintain the long term market success of the Cayenne series in the long term with the low-consumption V6 turbo diesel. In the last financial year 2007/08, 45,478 units of this series (which currently incorporates five different models) were sold - more than ever before in a financial year.
With the introduction of the Cayenne Diesel, Porsche is consistently continuing its commitment to reduce fuel consumption. As early as Spring 2007, the sports car manufacturer had equipped the new generation of the Cayenne series with engines with petrol direct injection that consume up to 15 percent less fuel in real-world driving conditions. Since the summer of 2008, Porsche has also offered the most recent generation of the 911 series with direct-injection petrol engines. The sports car manufacturer is also working on another Cayenne variant with hybrid drive that will consume less than nine litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and will be launched onto the market at the end of the decade.
The new Cayenne with diesel drive will be available from dealers from February 2009 onwards. Equipped with the proven Tiptronic-S automatic gearbox as standard, the Euro base price will be EUR 47,250. In Germany, the Cayenne with diesel engine including 19 percent VAT and country-specific equipment costs EUR 56,436.
