NO, IT´S NOT at sports car – but it is a Porsche. And with the for the time being most powerful SUV the Cayenne will start breaking down the walls between sports car and off-road cars.

The noble interior will make use of typical Porsche components, while the chassis will be based on a modified platform of the future Volkswagen T5 Caravelle/Transporter range.

It is said that about 20,000 units of the Cayenne per year shall be built in the all-new Leipzig factory.

Power for Porsche’s entry-level Cayenne will come from VW’s 235 bhp V6. Further up the range will be a newly developed 4.5-litre V8, naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms delivering 350 bhp and 450 bhp respectively.

Porsche is going to great lengths to ensure the Cayenne can meet, if not overtake, its rivals on and off-road and to win over sceptics who reckon a 4x4 runs against the values upon which Porsche is founded.

Off-road capability is said to be much better than that of Mercedes’ M-class and BMW X5 using an electronically controlled mid-differential that leads the power to the axle with best traction. If necessary the diff locks automatically up to 100%.

FACTS
· Porsche Cayenne
· Spy photos and artists impressions
· V6 from Volkswagen
· V8 naturally aspirated and with turbo
· 235 bhp, 350 bhp, 450 bhp.
· Launch: 2002

Photo: AutoMedia


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