ATLANTA --- Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG in Stuttgart today produced the 250,000th Cayenne at its Leipzig, Germany assembly plant. The milestone vehicle, a white Cayenne powered by a fuel-efficient and clean-burning six-cylinder diesel engine, will be delivered to a customer in Austria.
Porsche began building its sporty Cayenne SUV in Leipzig in 2002. "The introduction of the Cayenne as the third model in the series was an important strategic step for Porsche," said Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, Chairman of the Board of Porsche AG. "The five-seater is not only a great addition to the range for our many long-term Porsche customers, but it also opens up to us an entirely new customer segment on international markets." Thanks to its typical Porsche genes, the easy-to-handle Cayenne uniquely combines sportiness with robustness and absolute off-road capability.
Since the Cayenne went on sale in North America in March 2003, U.S. and Canadian customers have to date purchased 85,311 examples of Porsche’s popular SUV. In addition to the United States and Germany, important future Cayenne sales markets include China, Russia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The current North American Cayenne model lineup includes the Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne GTS, Cayenne Turbo, and Cayenne Turbo S. Next year Porsche will introduce the Cayenne S Hybrid, a vehicle offering V8 performance, the efficiency of a four-cylinder, and the ability to ‘coast’ at a maximum highway speed of 86 mph for up to 1.2 miles on electric power only. Later this year it also will offer the Cayenne S Transsyberia, a special model commemorating the Cayenne’s three consecutive first-place finishes in the grueling TransSyberia rally in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Porsche unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show its Cayenne Diesel featuring a 3.0-liter engine producing 240 horsepower. Fuel consumption, on average, is only 9.3 liters per 100 kilometers (or approximately 25 mpg*), with a range up to 620 miles, or 1,000 km. The Cayenne Diesel today is not sold in North America as Porsche has decided to concentrate its efforts on bringing the Cayenne S Hybrid to North America. Nevertheless, Porsche will closely monitor consumer trends to decide on the U.S. market potential of a diesel-powered Porsche.
The most recent survey results from U.S. market research institute J.D. Power and Associates rate the Cayenne for its excellent manufacturing quality and high reliability. Last year the company surveyed 81,500 new car buyers in the United States on their satisfaction with the vehicle and Porsche achieved the best ratings.