Ferdinand Porsche at the wheel of his 1903 Lohner-Porsche “hybrid” touring car.
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid has its public premier at the Paris Motor Show this week. Said to be the first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment, it joins the Panamera S E-Hybrid2 and the 918 Spyder3. After years of lagging behind Toyota and its Lexus luxury brand, German makers are being forced by fuel economy regulations and social forces to be – or appear to be – green.
Green the Cayenne hybrid, arguably, is. Cayenne S E-Hybrid is rated in Europe with a fuel economy of 3.4 liters per 100 kilometers and CO2 emissions of 79 grams per kilometer. The new model has a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 10.8 kWh, which enables pure electric driving.
Porsche claims zero to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 151 mph for the 2015 model.
The power of the electric motor was more than doubled, from 47 horsepower p to 95, with an all-electric top speed of 78 mph. Combined with the 3-liter supercharged V6 (333 horsepower), a total system power of 416 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a total system torque of 435 lb.-ft. from 1,250 to 4,000 rpm is available.
The battery can be charged from the electric power grid or while driving. Porsche Car Connect is standard on this vehicle, and allows the driver to download vehicle data from a smart phone.
The new generation of the Cayenne will come in four versions in the United States: Cayenne Diesel, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and the S E-Hybrid. The new Cayenne models will launch in the U.S. market starting 1 November 2014. MSRP for the new Cayenne models are:
- Cayenne Diesel $61,700
- Cayenne S $74,100
- Cayenne S E-Hybrid $76,400
- Cayenne Turbo $113,600
The Cayenne is a success story, with the company introducing the first model in 2002. Sales have exceeded all expectations in spite of grumbling from traditionalists that an SUV is not a true Porsche. More than 276,000 first generation vehicles were produced (2002 to 2010), and about 303,000 units of the second generation, introduced in 2010, have been produced so far.
Moreover, Porsche has strong historical claims in the EV segment. The hybrid design goes back to 1899 and the Lohner-Porsche – claimed to be the world’s first vehicle to have a battery-powered electric drive as well as a combustion engine, which was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche. (See also Court of Appeals Rules against Hedge Funds in Porsche Caper)
