Behest of VW? Probably Not

I had a play date with Porsche yesterday to learn more about the diesel Cayenne and forthcoming Cayenne S hybrid. The diesel, which shares its engine with the Audi Q7 TDI and VW Touareg TDI, isn’t sold here as of now, but the company is trying to build a business case for its importation. The Cayenne hybrid, which Porsche says wears the S suffix because its 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 and electric motor provide V-8-like performance, should arrive here sometime around the middle of next year as a member of the next-generation, lighter Cayenne lineup.
Yesterday was also the day rumors began flying that Volkswagen, the new controlling owner of Porsche, is planning to eliminate the Cayenne and all-new Panamera sedan at the end of their product cycles, or in about seven years. Conveniently, I was within striking distance of some Porsche PRs, so instead of speculating on the rampant rumor, I asked for their take.
Here’s why the rumor seems a little too far-out. Recently, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn gave Porsche a yearly sales goal of 150,000 units, something that would be damn-near impossible to achieve without the bread-and-butter Cayenne. When we asked about the rumor, the Porsche PRs had no official comment other than to call it absurd, and to reiterate that €1 billion (with a b) has been invested in Panamera development and expanding the Leipzig facility where it and the Cayenne are built. For its part, the Cayenne is Porsche’s runaway sales leader, and has helped the brand enter emerging markets like Russia and China. And despite what we perceived in early photography to be an odd design, the Panamera has been very well received. To date, there have been 3000 pre-orders for the five-door hatch-thing, and after briefly sampling a Panamera S myself, I will go out on a well-engineered limb and say that it will prove as successful as the Cayenne. It’s hard to imagine Volkswagen buying a company and canceling two lucrative product programs.
Then again, as we reported last week, Volkswagen is looking to realign its products - especially in the U.S. - to include a seven-passenger, Passat-based crossover, which could spell an eventual end to the Touareg, which shares its bones with the Cayenne. That could trickle down and spell the death of the Porsche ute. Whatever happens, we plan to enjoy both the Cayenne and Panamera whenever we can.
For more on the diesel and hybrid Cayennes, read this: 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid and 2009 Cayenne Diesel – First Drive Review
Related posts:
- 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid and 2009 Cayenne Diesel – First Drive Review
- 2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 – car News
- 2011 Porsche Cayenne – Spied
- Is Porsche Really Planning the 2010 Porsche Roxster / Baby Cayenne SUV?
- 2009 Porsche Cayenne Diesel for Europe – car News
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