Category: Porsche

At the last Los Angeles Motor Show, Porsche had announced that its engineers were working hard on a hybrid Cayenne, a top priority for the German car maker. Since then, the company has changed its mind and and sounds rather sceptical.

First the market doesn’t look so promising as first surveys have revealed that only 5% of Porsche customers were ready to buy a hybrid Cayenne. “The most optimistic forecast still only calls for a market share of 5 percent” said Porsche’s head of distribution, Klaus Bering in a recent interview given to Automobilwoche.

Secondly, Porsche’s progress on the hybrid system aren’t as good as it claimed it was at the last Los Angeles Motor Show. Indeed, executive said that the Cayenne Hybrid was able to run at 75mph on battery but it is rumoured that the hybrid model can only top 50mph. Moreover, Porsche is seriously concerned by the cost generated by the technology. The company is not sure about the potential profitability and not everybody is ready to lose money on hybrid cars like Toyota did. Unlike the Japanese giant, Porsche doesn’t need to build a brand image which is among the strongest in the world. In other words, the Cayenne Hybrid is still considered but its production version won’t be available before the next-generation due to appear in 2010.

Yesterday, we mentioned the Nissan GT-R factory tour. As the GT-R took the Porsche Turbo as a reference and might steal sales from the German car maker, it is fair to have a look at how Porsche builds cars. The factory tour is not the Zuffenhausen’s plant but the Leipizig built for the Cayenne model.

It is rumoured that the next-generation Cayenne might be the symbol of a strategic move for the German car maker. Indeed, the SUV would be smaller in every dimension than the current model and would be engineered for on-road manners rather than off-road abilities.

Likely to be unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the future Cayenne would be based on the Audi Q5 platform in order to cut cost and share components with the Volkswagen Group. Secrecy surrounds the engine range but it is said that the Cayenne will still feature V8 engines either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. Along the big block, the next-generation Cayenne would also receive smaller V6 units. It is also said that it will feature a hybrid engine which can reach an impressive 32 mpg.

Despite being an achiever on the road, the current Cayenne is an impressive off-roader, but it might change in the future. The next Cayenne would be road-biased and would likely be considered as a crossover. How would Porsche market it is an interesting question.

A smaller Cayenne would probably help Porsche meet the CO2 emissions limits of 120g/km due to come into force in Europe in 2012. But, it might also be a dangerous move as the Cayenne appears to be a symbol of opulence in the streets nowadays. A smaller Cayenne might cause the SUV to lose the interest of current customers unless other competitors follow Porsche and release smaller SUVs in the future.

Source: Motor Authority

Porsche will unveil the Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy next week. This limited edition takes its inspiration from the classic Porsche racing cars of the ’60s, especially the Type 718 RS 60 Spyder.

Based on the Boxster S, the RS 60 Spyder comes with a unique front spoiler and a new exhaust with unique dual tailpipes. The modified Boxster sits on 19in alloy wheels and features the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) stability control. The engine gets a power boost raising its power from 276bhp to 299bhp.

On the outside, the car is available with a choice of two paint schemes. The first one combines a GT Silver metallic paint with a red interior in natural leather, dubbed Carrera Red and red roof top. The second paint scheme replaces the Carrera Red interior by a dark grey interior and the roof becomes black. The interior gets a visual revamp with the GT Silver paint featured on the instrument cluster, the seat backrests, the central console and the roll hoops. There is also a bespoke gear lever.

The car goes on sale in next spring with a price tag without VAT of €53,500/£38,400 and will be built at only 1,960 units.

Four aspiring car designers from the Institut Superieur de Design in France have revealed their own vision of what the future of Porsche cars might be.

Dubbed Carma Concept, the sports coupé features a unique floor, which features two tunnels running the length of the body. More interesting, the car is equipped with two variable portholes to replace the traditional spoilers. The air flows into the car and then exits at the rear end. With both technologies, the four designers’ goal is to suck the car onto the road at high speed.

The overall shape vaguely reminds Porsche cars by taking inspiration from current and past models. The most interesting exterior detail is the stern, which features a design inspired by the Porsche 928.

Sportec has unveiled its new interpretation of the Porsche 997 Turbo, the SP580. The number 580 stands for the power available on the most powerful variant. In order to reach 580bhp, the Swiss tuner reprogrammed the car’s ECU and added two in-house turbochargers. The torque reaches 564lb-ft/765Nm. The car also receives a new exhaust system and reinforced clutch.

The braking system has been improved by replacing the standard system by a new six-piston callipers system and larger 380mm brake discs. A sports suspension kit has also been fitted, including firmer springs and new shock absorbers. All these improvements help the SP580 to reach 210mph/338km/h and run the 0-60mph in 3.4s.

If 580bhp is too much for you, it is possible to start with the entry-level, which produces ‘only’ 530bhp. This is still 50bhp more than the standard 911 Turbo.

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.

Recently we showed you some spyshots of the Porsche 911 GT2. Here are the first semi-official pictures of the most powerful production 911, taken from a leaked brochure.

After much speculation regarding its power, it has now been confirmed that the final output will be 523 bhp/530 hp at 6500 rpm. The torque will reach 511 lb-ft/693Nm between 2200 rpm and 4500 rpm. Compared to the normal Turbo version, the new version has been lightened and weighs 3,175 lbs/1,440 kg.

The GT2 can top 204 mph and run the 0-62mph in 3.7s and the 0-100mph in 7.4s.

Now that we have the official specifications for the 911 GT2, we are waiting for the official specifications of the next Skyline GT-R in its powerful version. Dubbed Evolution, it will produce 530 bhp according to insiders. Nissan promised the power of the 911 Turbo for half the price. Let’s wait and see whether they can deliver.

Click here to see the brochure

Source: Porscheguys

  Last week Porsche built the one hundred thousandth 911 997 model. Launched in April 2004, the 997 is the first Porsche 911 to be produced so quickly since the first generation sold in 1963.

The hundred thousandth 911 is a red Carrera S with manual gearbox. It will to be delivered to a customer in the Frankfurt/Main area of Germany within the next few days.

By the end of the 2006/2007 fiscal year, Porsche will have sold around 36,000 911 units in the world, another record for the Porsche legend.

Here are some new pictures of the most powerful 911 ever produced. To be revealed officially at the next Frankfurt motor show, the GT2 will also become the first 911 to have more than 500 hp/500 bhp.

Compared to the normal Turbo, the GT2 will discard the 4×4 drive train, saving about 100 kg. Its weight will also be reduced by lighter body panels and ceramic brakes discs. The most outstanding feature will be an all-titanium exhaust system.

While cutting its weight, the GT2 will also be given a power boost. Changes to the turbocharger will provide 530 hp/523 bhp, enabling the GT2 to run the 0-60mph in 3.7s and achieve a top speed over 190mph.

Obviously, the GT2 will be more expensive than the Turbo. Expect a price of about £135,000/€200,000/$272,000.

Click here to see all the pictures