Indian Autos blog

When Porsche claimed that they have build an SUV that drives like a sportscar, the world automotive press had a nice giggle. When Porsche presented the Cayenne back in 2002 to the world automotive press, we laughed even harder.

But when the media drove the Cayenne, boy did they had their foot in their mouth.

Porsche continues to amaze the world as they have finally rolled off 100,000 second generation Cayennes!

IndianAutosBlog.com is fresh off the BMW X3 press conference in Pune, where BMW launched its brand new compact luxury SUV at a whopping price of 41.2 lakhs. The BMW X3 already has enough contenders such Audi’s Q5, Landrover Freelander 2, Volvo XC60.

But a new challenger is taking birth on the hills of Nürburgring – It’s the Porsche Cajun. This baby Cayenne will mark the Porsche brand’s first entry in the compact luxury SUV segment.

According to the images reported by Autoblog.com, Porsche has already started testing the Cajun platform on the Ring. Right now, it is using the Audi Q5 body as a test mule. More proof comes in the form of number plates which are marked LB (Ludwigsburg). If it was actually an Audi, it would have been IN (Ingoldstadt).

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Fiat is working on reviving the Panda and in the next few months it’ll be out on some international markets. There’s huge demand for the Panda in Europe and Fiat manufactured the 1,500,000th Panda back in July 2009. It has been in production since 1980 and we can’t wait for it here in India with the 900cc TwinAir petrol and 1.3-liter Multijet engine.

[Head over to steeringnews.com to read about the new Panda]

Porsche meanwhile is downsizing some of its cars starting with the Cayenne. The Cayenne Junior or Cajun will touch down in mid 2013. Based on the Audi Q5, the Cajun is a perfect car for Porsche to run down the likes of the BMW X3 and Volvo XC60. But will the Cajun be an overpriced product due to the anti-import duty structure?

[Head over to steeringnews.com to read about the Porsche Cajun]

Dacia is working on a Mahindra Xylo in Romania. Codenamed J92, the Dacia Monospace MPV could bear the Popster nameplate when it comes out next year. Like other Dacias (Logan, Sandero and Duster) its should be great value and can help Renault occupy the MPV space in India that will see so many new players over the next 12-18 months.

[Head over to steeringnews.com to read about the Dacia J92]

VW-controlled performance car manufacturer Porsche has launched the Cayman S Black limited edition on the Indian market. The soft launch took place on Saturday. The Cayman S Black limited edition is priced at Rs 75.45 lakh rupees(ex-showroom Delhi). The company plans to manufacture 500 examples, so this is an exclusive car by every stretch of imagination. The Black is an upgraded version of the Cayman with new features.

The front seats are trimmed in black partial leather and it has a sports steering wheel. Climate control and cruise control are handy features on long journeys. The Porsche Communication Management (PCM), Porsche’ way of saying “satellite navigation” is available and the black audio interface plays MP3 files. The system is also Bluetooth compatible.

The black color scheme of the Cayman S Black Edition is consistent throughout. This is stretching the limited edition status a bit too far as everything from the dashboard, gear lever, seats to the alloys are painted in black.

Sitting behind the passenger cell is a 6-cylinder, 3.4-liter boxer engine capable of generating 330hp at 7400 rpm and a peak torque of 370 Nm at 4750 rpm. This rockets the Cayman to 100kph from a standstill in just 5.1 seconds. Equipped with PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) dual-clutch gearbox, the car accelerates till 279km/h.

One will argue that there are not many roads in India to explore all of the Cayman model’ capabilities but customers will counter argue that they are tired of waiting for the government to give them the facilities. Moreover the Cayman driver is more concerned about making a statement than a 279kmph speed dash.

We are not Ford or Tata and this is how we retain our exclusivity. Having said that, we know that India is primarily a chauffeur-driven market and back in Germany, the company recognizes the fact that very often a customer is not willing to wait long before buying a vehicle.

In an interview with Carwale, Mr. James Bourne, Regional Operational Manager, Porsche Middle East talks about the exclusivity of Porsche cars.

Minutes back, Porsche launched the all-new Cayenne in India. Prices range from 59.22 lakh to a whopping 1.27 crore rupees. Press release and official images will follow. Stay tuned!

All prices are ex-showroom Mumbai

Cayenne – 65.82 lakh (3.6 liter V6 – 296 hp)

Cayenne S – 78.62 lakh (4.8 liter V8 – 395 hp)

Cayenne Turbo – 1.27 crore (4.8 liter twin-turbo V8 – 493 hp)

Cayenne DIESEL – 59.22 lakh (3.0 liter V6 TDI – 237 hp)

Cayenne S Hybrid – 75.46 lakh (3.0 liter V6 – 375 hp)

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As we reported earlier Porsche would be launching the 2011 Cayenne in India at the end of this month. Prices are expected to start at approx 65 lakhs and go all the way up to 1.2 crores.

Reports suggest that the company is now planning to locally assemble the car at Volkswagen’s Chakan plant. Sources indicate that the company is contemplating on taking the CKD route for its SUV which is currently imported as a CBU from Porsche’s plant in Germany & thus attracts high import duties.

This would bring down the cost of the Cayenne drastically as the import duty would go down from the current 113% to 40%.

Ashish Chordia, CEO of Porsche India -

Porsche stands for ‘Made in Germany’ quality, and currently there are no plans of either assembling or manufacturing Porsches in India

The Porsche Cayenne accounts for 65% of the total sales of the company & is thus a significant model. Archrival Land Rover is contemplating on locally assembling their SUV’s. Porsche could very well take advantage of their parents’ plant in Chakan for assembling the Cayenne in order to give it a competitive price tag. If this happens, it would India would be the 1st place outside Germany to assemble Porsches.

The second generation 2011 Porsche Cayenne sports SUV has been launched internationally and it is reported that bookings for the Porsche SUV have opened in India already.

The car is expected to be officially launched in India between 22-27 July, 2010. All the five engine options that are available internationally would be offered to the deep-pocketed Indian buyer, including the diesel and hybrid versions.

The Cayenne is the first ever Porsche to come with a diesel engine. This 3.0 liter TDI diesel engine comes from Volkswagen. The hybrid version of the the Porsche Cayenne uses a 333 hp 3.0 liter petrol from Audi paired with a lithium ion battery powering an electric motor to produce 47 hp.

The Porsche Cayenne range starts at Rs. 65,82,000 for the base variant and stretches up to Rs. 1,27,10,000 for the top of the line Turbo that comes with a twin-turbocharged 4.8 liter V8 producing 493 hp and 700 Nm of torque. This 4.8 liter motor is shared with the Porsche Panamera Turbo.

Porsche is also reportedly developing a mini-SUV which could be called the Roxster and would directly compete with the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and the Land Rover Discovery.

2011 Porsche Cayenne Range -

Cayenne Base – 3.6 liter V6 – 296 hp

Cayenne Diesel – 3.0 liter V6 TDI – 237 hp

Cayenne S – 4.8 liter V8 – 395 hp

Cayenne Turbo – 4.8 liter twin-turbo V8 – 493 hp

Cayenne Hybrid – 3.0 liter V6 – 375 hp

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