Indian Autos blog

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

click through to see image gallery

Porsche expects a diesel Cayenne to boost sales of the Cayenne in particular. What’s more, Porsche expects this diesel model to account for about 80% of the sales of the Cayenne range. This is all stretching it a bit- Let me explain why.

Porsche has revealed that it is planning to introduce its new Diesel variant of its sports utility vehicle Cayenne to India.

The new Porsche Cayenne Diesel is not likely to come anytime soon to the Middle East and Asia, but talks are underway with the Germany’s Porsche executive panel to attempt to secure the vehicle for India, Porsche said in a statement.

Porsche has already begun the production of Cayenne Diesel at Leipzig in Germany and would be initially available in only selected European markets from February 2009.

* The Cayenne diesel will come with a powerful 3-litre V6 Turbo diesel engine with power of 240 Bhp (176 kW) and a peak torque of 550Nm.
* Engine is provided by subsidiary company Audi AG.
* The Cayenne diesel uses 9.3 liters Diesel per 100 kilometers and its CO2 emissions are 244 Grams/Km. Average mileage is 10.7 Kmpl. (Comparable to any fuel efficient SUV!)

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. Porsche has never in its 60-year history used a Diesel engine, except for its tractors!