Category: Porsche
Posted by Neil Winton on Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 1:16 PMPorsche Grits Its Teeth And Concedes It Needs Diesels
GENEVA, Switzerland - Porsche didn't unveil any major new models at the Geneva Car Show, which opened to the public today, but news has emerged that shows just how strong the winds of change are blowing through the European automotive industry.
Porsche has at last succumbed to the diesel.
The news isn't official yet; it was reported in the latest edition of pan-European fortnightly newsletter Automotive Industry Data (AID), known for its impeccable sources at Porsche.
AID said, quoting Porsche sources, that the diesel powered Cayenne SUV will makes its debut by the middle of 2009.
This will bring it ahead of the planned petrol-electric hybrid powered Cayenne, scheduled for 2010. Currently, Porsche only uses gasoline engines.
Porsche has long eschewed the idea of oil-burning diesel engines in its expensive, high class machines, mainly on the grounds of taste. Diesels somehow don't radiate the kind of ambiance required in a traditional thoroughbred sporty car. So it must have been through gritted teeth that Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking recently gave the go-ahead to put an engine a bit too closely related for comfort to a truck, in one of his precious machines.
Porsche has succumbed to the diesel because of pressure building from the European Union's regulators, who are likely to agree later this year on measures to sharply raise the average fuel consumption of cars.
Citigroup Global Markets said in a recent report that Porsche faces huge financial penalties if the E.U.'s demands are not watered down. Porsche would need to improve its fleet average fuel consumption from its current 20 miles per U.S. gallon to close to 40 mpg by 2012, if it was to avoid fines of more than $736 million by 2016.
Modern diesel engines are a sure-fire and quick way for Porsche to sharply raise fuel efficiency, and probably not lose much in the way of performance. And of course, because of its close relations with VW, Porsche has direct access to its huge range of diesels.
According to AID, Porsche won't be using one of VW's exotic sounding V-12, V-10 or even V8 diesels. It has opted for a V6, which because of its lightness, at least won't upset the finely honed handling of a Porsche too much. The same probably can't be said for the feelings of Porsche traditionalists.
