Honda CEO Takeo Fukui recently announced that Honda would rely on diesel engines for the top models because they offer more potential for economising than hybrids on bigger engines. This, however, is a step that Porsche will never take for its cars, even its SUVs. The German carmaker has opted for the hybrid solution to decrease its CO2 emissions. According to Autobild, Porsche will launch in 2009 a hybrid version of the Cayenne.
The Hybrid solution will be made of a 3.6 litre V6 engine coupled with an electric engine. The first will produce 280bhp and the second 50bhp. The car will be able to use both engines individually or the two together. The batteries will be installed near the tank. The system will allow consumption and CO2 emissions to be decreased by 15%.
However, the current V6 emits 310g of CO2 per kilometer. With a 15% decrease it will still be 264g. Considerable effort is still required if Porsche is to meet the 2012 EU regulations.
We understand why Wendelin Wiedeking was so upset when the 2012 regulations were voted in by the European parliament. CO2 level is calculated as the average emissions made by the current range for each carmaker. At this pace, Porsche will never be able to comply with the EU laws in 2012. One solution may be the integration of Volkswagen into the Porsche calculation, which explains why Porsche wants to buy the whole Volkswagen Group.
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