Diesel Cayenne Coming?

[Guest]

I am fairly sure a diesel will be produced for the following reasons -

When a new prestige car is launched, it takes a while for supply and demand to settle, very soon in Europe at least the Cayenne is in danger of oversupply. When this happens they will have to build a diesel to appeal to new buyers.

A lot of talk about the V10 VW engine may be misplaced, I am sure I have read somewhere that it is not euro 4 compliant and will therefore cease production soon. Car Magazine is running a V10 Touareg and get about 18mpg which is not much better than the petrol Cayenne.

The engine that will surely appear is the 4.0 V8 turbo Audi engine, it has all the right attributes and is earmarked for the Q7 Audi 4x4 which is based on the Cayenne/Touareg.

Having driven a 4.0TDI A8 Audi, it is s superb engine and would give the Cayenne a lift over the 3.0d X5, underpowered Range Rover diesel and the laughably slow new Discovery TDI.

Or maybe I am wrong and due to the Q7, Audi have decided to keep the jem of a 4.0 V8 all to themselves?

Kevin.

 

[John H]

Agree about the Audi V8 4.0 litre TDi. Having driven this engine in the new A8, it is mindbogglingly good for a deisel, in fact I doubt if my 968 would see which way it went, at least not on a bumpy road. []

JH

 

[Guest]

i am a porsche marque enthusiast

Why? What does this mean - what are you enthusiastic about?
Is this compatible with what you are requesting?

Where do 50% plus of Cayennes go? The US. Assuming you could get similar performance, would a diesel Cayenne sell well there? I doubt it.

Will Ferrrai and Lamborghini do a diesel in the near to medium term? I can't see it. Therefore from a brand positioning exercise I can't see Porsche doing one.

I read some comment that Porsche are in the same position as BMW in the '70's. There was no ideal number of sales and that growth can continue as far as they like.
The issue with this is that Euro legislation requires a certain fuel economy across the range. Therefore BMW need the 1 series and Mini to ofset the gas guzzling of the M5 and 750, similarly Mercedes need the A class to offset the S class.
Porsche have some exemptions based upon their limited number of sales. However, as they get larger this would come under threat. Once they are into hundreds of thousands of sales, they will have to produce some slow efficient cars to offset the 911's and Cayennes.
The brand would not take this, so I do not think they will grow too much larger.
Plus they are making 1Billion Euro per year profit (before tax). They will struggle to generate much more (IMO).

As the number of sales increases the depreciation on all models would accelerate - including diesels. Arguably the diesels would be worse since the least epitomise the values the brand stands for.

I stand by my previous mail, that a hybrid vehicle is more likely than a diesel.
The Q7 (from Audi) and the Toureg will be the diesel variants.

 

[Guest]

we will wait and see.

should a cayenne diesel never materialise in the future, then a petrol one it has to be!

simple. []

 

[Mark_Bennett]

From Fuelcellsworks.com

Porsche Weighs Offering a Gas-Electric Hybrid Vehicle

Publication Date:15-December-2004
Source:Joseph White-Dow Jones Newswire

DETROIT -- German sports car and luxury SUV maker Poorsche AG is studying whether to offer a hybrid gas-electric model, possibly a version of its Cayenne sport utility vehicle, the head of Porsche's North American unit said.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, president of Porsche North America, said a team has been studying whether the auto maker should develop a hybrid model since earlier this year. "It looks like this is probably a trend for the future," Mr. Schwarzenbauer said in Detroit on Tuesday. "We are seriously looking at this technology" for the North American market.

Japanese auto makers Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) are pursuing aggressive plans to expand sales of gas-electric hybrids in North America. Earlier this week, General Motors Corp. (GM) and DaimlerChrysler AG ( DCX) announced an alliance to develop hybrid technology. Toyota and the GM- DaimlerChrysler alliance are looking for other auto makers to buy or license their competing technologies.

Separately, Mr. Schwarzenbauer said Porsche is on track for record sales in the North American market in 2004, surpassing 2003 sales by about 10%. Sales for 2004 should exceed the company's previous annual sales record in North America, set in 1986, of 30,471 cars, reaching about 32,500 vehicles sold. If the economy stays on track and "the world doesn't go crazy" Porsche should surpass 2004 sales in 2005, he said.

Porsche continues to study whether to offer a fourth model beyond its Boxster roadster, 911 series sports cars and Cayenne SUV. The company's deliberations are "30% if, and 70% what," Mr. Schwarzenbauer said. He said a decision should come sometime in mid-2005.

 

[Sundeep]

otherwsie although does anyone else think that 'they' may launch a model between the 3.2 V6 and the 4.5 V8 ? in the form of a smaller sized V8 ?

I always felt that the gap between both is quite large ? in terms of both price & performace...

as VW / Audi do have a 3.7 V8 knocking about in the A8 and IIRC are due to replace the 3.2 in the Toureag with a 3.6 V6

???

 

[Mark_Bennett]

More from Wiedeking on the hybrid...

(--> Detroit Free Press / Associated Press story here <--)

DETROIT (AP) -- German luxury automaker Porsche AG is considering whether to offer a hybrid-powered version of its Cayenne sport utility vehicle and plans to decide whether to pursue the option later this year, its chief executive said Monday.

Wendelin Wiedeking told reporters at the North American International Auto Show that a hybrid drive would only make sense in its Cayenne, since space and weight considerations would stand in the way of a hybrid 911 or Boxster.

"Since we at Porsche are convinced that environmental compatibility will be the most significant success factor for the future of the automotive industry," Wiedeking said, "our engineers have been looking closely at this alternative technology for a long time."

Wiedeking said Porsche also may decide later this year whether to add another model series to its current lineup.

Wiedeking's remarks came as Porsche showed off the new 911 Cabriolet. The convertible will be available in March in two versions: a Carrera Cabriolet, with a 3.6-liter engine, and the Carrera S Cabriolet, with a 3.8-liter engine.

The Carrera Cabriolet is listed at $79,100, while the Carrera S Cabriolet will be available at $88,900.

 

[Guest]

I just don't know, but DIESEL PORSCHE ? It sounds just like the same as FIAT CAYENNE, don't you think ?

VW and DIESEL, yes, no doubt. But Porsche. P is for PERFORMANCE, not for PEACEFUL driving !