The first oil-burning production car from Porsche has arrived in the form of the Cayenne Diesel. The famous for its sportscars German automaker has equipped the Cayenne Diesel with a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine that has been supplied by sister Audi which uses it on various vehicles in its line-up including the Q7 SUV and the A4 range. The turbocharged diesel engine that is hooked up to a standard Tiptronic-S automatic gearbox develops an output of 240HP and a maximum torque of 550Nm (405.6 lbs-ft). According to Porsche, the Cayenne Diesel returns an average consumption of 9,3 liters per 100km (25.3mpg U.S. or 30.4mpg U.K.) with CO2 at 244 grams per kilometer.
In an official statement, Porsche said that the decision to introduce a diesel variant of the Cayenne "was taken in response to changed legal regulations especially in European markets, resulting in tax incentives for vehicles with diesel engines." The firm also noted that "Porsche's stake in the Volkswagen Group, the world's largest manufacturer of modern diesel engines for passenger cars, has opened up new opportunities to utilize diesel technology."
The new Cayenne Diesel will initially be offered only in Europe but Porsche officials said that preparations for market introduction in other countries are underway, meaning that we could see the model in the States by early 2010.
In Europe, the new Cayenne with diesel drive will be available from February 2009 with a base price of €47,250 ($59,500 with the current exchange rates). In Germany, the Cayenne Diesel including 19 percent VAT and country-specific equipment will cost €56,436.
