Pictured is the 250,000th Cayenne ever produced.
Editor’s note: yes, it’s not a sports car, but we will cover anything Porsche on these pages. There is little doubt about the success of the Cayenne for Porsche. The Cayenne literally brought the company out of the doldrums that swept the company through the 1990s, and out of obscurity. Today, you see more Porsche Cayennes on the road than any other Porsche model. The Cayenne has literally made Porsche what it is today. Now it’s time for a more frugal diesel Cayenne, and one with a hybrid drivetrain. Bring it on!
Since 2003, more than 85,000 Cayennes have been sold in North America
ATLANTA – March 6, 2009 —- Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG in Stuttgart today
produced the 250,000th Cayenne at its Leipzig, Germany assembly plant. The
milestone vehicle, a white Cayenne powered by a fuel-efficient and clean-
burning six-cylinder diesel engine, will be delivered to a customer in Austria.
Porsche began building its sporty Cayenne SUV in Leipzig in 2002. “The
introduction of the Cayenne as the third model in the series was an important
strategic step for Porsche,” said Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, Chairman of the Board
of Porsche AG. “The five-seater is not only a great addition to the range for our many long-term Porsche customers, but it also opens up to us an entirely new
customer segment on international markets.” Thanks to its typical Porsche
genes, the easy-to-handle Cayenne uniquely combines sportiness with
robustness and absolute off-road capability.
Since the Cayenne went on sale in North America in March 2003, U.S. and
Canadian customers have to date purchased 85,311 examples of Porsche’s
popular SUV. In addition to the United States and Germany, important future
Cayenne sales markets include China, Russia, Latin America and the Middle
East.
The current North American Cayenne model lineup includes the Cayenne,
Cayenne S, Cayenne GTS, Cayenne Turbo, and Cayenne Turbo S. Next year
Porsche will introduce the Cayenne S Hybrid, a vehicle offering V8 performance,
the efficiency of a four-cylinder, and the ability to ‘coast’ at a maximum highway
speed of 86 mph for up to 1.2 miles on electric power only. Later this year it also
will offer the Cayenne S Transsyberia, a special model commemorating the
Cayenne’s three consecutive first-place finishes in the grueling TransSyberia
rally in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Yesterday Porsche unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show its
Cayenne Diesel featuring a 3.0-liter engine producing 240 horsepower. Fuel
consumption, on average, is only 9.3 liters per 100 kilometers (or approximately
25 mpg*), with a range up to 620 miles, or 1,000 km. The Cayenne Diesel today
is not sold in North America as Porsche has decided to concentrate its efforts on
bringing the Cayenne S Hybrid to North America. Nevertheless, Porsche will
closely monitor consumer trends to decide on the U.S. market potential of a
diesel-powered Porsche.
The most recent survey results from U.S. market research institute J.D. Power
and Associates rate the Cayenne for its excellent manufacturing quality and high
reliability. Last year the company surveyed 81,500 new car buyers in the United
States on their satisfaction with the vehicle and Porsche achieved the best
ratings.