First details: Porsche’s Cayenne S Hybrid

MORE details have emerged about the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid due for release by the end of 2010, but it is still unclear if the famed sportscar-maker’s first petrol-electric model will be housed in its current SUV or the all-new Cayenne that could also appear next year.

Biggest news is that the hybrid Cayenne will not use the full parallel hybrid drivetrain that we sampled in Germany in July 2007 in the prototype Cayenne Hybrid, which was officially unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles motor show and employed a Volkswagen-sourced 206kW 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine, mated to a 34kW electric motor.

In fact, next year’s Cayenne S Hybrid will employ the same petrol-electric drive system that was confirmed earlier this month for sister company Volkswagen’s Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid, which is also due on sale in 2010.

Namely, it will comprise the same supercharged direct-injection 3.0-litre petrol V6 that powers Audi’s facelifted A6 3.0 TFSI, which on its own delivers 245kW and 440Nm of torque.

In this case it will be mated to an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission via a 38kW electric motor, which is powered by a fully integrated nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack mounted inside the spare wheel well, thereby retaining the standard Cayenne’s luggage capacity.

As with VW’s hybrid Touareg, that will give the hybrid Cayenne a temporary maximum power output (either when the eight-speed auto kicks down or when “S” mode is selected via the gearshifter) of 275kW and no less than 550Nm of torque.

Also like the Touareg hybrid, Porsche says that will give its Cayenne hybrid V8-like performance with average fuel consumption of less than 9.0L/100km on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

That is equal to CO2 emissions of less than 210gm/km – which Porsche says is 20 per cent less than a comparable conventional vehicle with similar performance.

The same hybrid drivetrain will be fitted to Porsche’s Panamera sedan, which makes its global debut at the Shanghai motor show in China on April 20, some time in its lifecycle.

Of course, Porsche makes much of its claim to be the inventor of the hybrid drive system, which it says was first developed by company founder Ferdinand Porsche in 1900, when it says the Lohner-Porsche Mixte became the world’s petrol-electric vehicle to enter standard production.

However, unlike the 1900 Mixte, which featured an 11kW four-cylinder engine mated to an 80-volt dynamo, the Cayenne S Hybrid incorporates a full parallel hybrid drive system that can motivate the vehicle in all-electric mode.

The Cayenne S Hybrid will meet both the Euro V and ULEVII emission standards in Europe and the US respectively.

Unlike other hybrid systems that deliver most benefits during city driving, says Porsche, the petrol-electric Cayenne is able to roll freely at speeds of up to 138km/h without petrol engine power.

“When driving at the same steady speed and even when accelerating moderately, the driver is able to run the vehicle entirely on electric power, depending on driving conditions, up to a speed of 50km/h or more,” says Porsche.

For the record, Audi’s new 3.0 TFSI engine, as fitted to the Cayenne and Touareg hybrids, features a belt-drive mechanical supercharger mounted between the cylinder blocks. It produces 245kW between 5500 and 7000rpm, as well as 440Nm of torque between 2900 and 5300rpm.

The Cayenne S Hybrid’s three-phase synchronous motor, which also acts as an alternator, develops maximum output of 38kW at 288 volts, but the impressive part is a torque output of 285Nm from standstill and 300Nm below 1140rpm.

The result is noise-free electric-only power and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 6.8 seconds, which is the same as the equivalent 4.5-litre petrol V8-powered Cayenne – hence its identical ‘S’ badging.

Read more:

Volkswagen reveals first hybrid SUV

First drive: Electro-Cayenne to lead hybrid Euros