2011 Porsche Cayenne Breaks Cover in Germany

STUTTGART, Germany — Information about the 2011 Porsche Cayenne has unexpectedly surfaced in Germany almost two months ahead of its planned unveiling. Scheduled for introduction at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, the same time frame as the forthcoming new-generation Volkswagen Touareg, the new Porsche Cayenne has recently been described in the German press after a private introduction to the media on December 15. Official information from Porsche says the Cayenne will feature a turbocharged, 500-horsepower 4.8-liter V8, a 400-hp 4.8-liter V8 and a 300-hp 3.6-liter V6.

Improved fuel efficiency from these engines is accompanied by a 10 percent weight reduction in the overall vehicle. Diesel and hybrid versions are planned, but they won't be coming to America.

Also planned is a successor to the recently introduced Cayenne diesel model with a turbocharged, 240-hp 3.9-liter common-rail diesel seen in the diesel version of the 2010 Audi Q7. In addition, the Cayenne will also use the hybrid powertrain adopted for the forthcoming Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, which combines an Audi-engineered combination of a supercharged 330-hp 3.0-liter V6 with a 47-hp electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Every Porsche Cayenne will come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and European models will incorporate automatic stop/start. The low-speed transfer case has been deleted, making the Cayenne a pure on-road vehicle.

While official figures are yet to be communicated, Porsche claims fuel consumption for its gasoline-fueled engines has been reduced by up to 23 percent. Porsche also claims that the new Cayenne Hybrid will achieve 28.7 mpg on the European driving cycle, plus it will meet the European standard for C02 emissions of 200 gm/kilometer, which will significantly reduce its tax burden and thus increase sales.

Porsche has also managed to slash the weight of its SUV by up to 10 percent, with the Cayenne S having shed an impressive 396 pounds to weigh 4,553 pounds. Even so, Porsche says the Cayenne includes more than 154 pounds of assorted new features. The dramatic reduction in weight has been achieved through a range of measures, including a new production process for the doors that saves 86 pounds, the deletion of the two-speed transfer case and an increased number of aluminum chassis components which shaves a further 146 pounds. The new-generation Cayenne also combines a chassis with high-strength steel with aluminum hood, doors and a tailgate.

As with its predecessor, the second-generation Cayenne will be manufactured in a two-stage process that begins at Volkswagen's plant in Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside the Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg and then ends with final assembly at Porsche's factory in Leipzig, Germany.

The first public outing for the 2011 Porsche Cayenne will still be at the Geneva auto show in March. North American sales are planned to begin in May 2010.

Inside Line says: This early release of Cayenne information might be part of the renewed Porsche-Volkswagen rivalry in the wake of the Stuttgart company's takeover by the Wolfsburg giant. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent