2011 Porsche Cayenne Breaks cover in Germany

[Bruce Nunnally]

STUTTGART, Germany — Information about the 2011 Porsche Cayenne has unexpectedly surfaced in Germany almost two months ahead of its planned unveiling. Scheduled for introduction at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, the same time frame as the forthcoming new-generation Volkswagen Touareg, the new Porsche Cayenne has recently been described in the German press after a private introduction to the media on December 15. Official information from Porsche says the Cayenne will feature a turbocharged, 500-horsepower 4.8-liter V8, a 400-hp 4.8-liter V8 and a 300-hp 3.6-liter V6.

Improved fuel efficiency from these engines is accompanied by a 10 percent weight reduction in the overall vehicle. Diesel and hybrid versions are planned, but they won't be coming to America.

Also planned is a successor to the recently introduced Cayenne diesel model with a turbocharged, 240-hp 3.9-liter common-rail diesel seen in the diesel version of the 2010 Audi Q7. In addition, the Cayenne will also use the hybrid powertrain adopted for the forthcoming Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, which combines an Audi-engineered combination of a supercharged 330-hp 3.0-liter V6 with a 47-hp electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Neither of these powertrains is expected to be seen any time soon in the U.S., however.

Read More: http://www.insideline.com/porsche/cayenne/...in-germany.html