Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
Porsche told the world it was planning a hybrid version of its Cayenne S SUV at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Since then, the automaker has made significant progress on the car.
Test prototypes have been driven by journalists and a review was just published.
Porsche expects the vehicle to hit dealer showrooms in late 2010.
The car is unique because it is a very fast sporty SUV than uses an advanced parallel hybrid drivetrain. It uses a unique disengagement clutch that allows the car to coast at highway speed, eliminating regenerative drag. With this system in place the car can actually go up to 86 mph in pure EV mode.
It uses a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine that develops 333 hp. This is mated to a 38 kw electric motor, and the two combine to create 221 foot-pounds of torque.
This drivetrain allows the 5214 pound SUV to go from zero to sixty in just under 6.8 seconds.
Average fuel economy is expected to be 26 to 27 MPG on the European cycle.
Source (National Post) and (Edmunds)
