Porsche Cayenne Hybrid (2007): first official pictures

A Porsche hybrid?

That's right, and CAR Online has just returned from a visit to Weissach - Porsche's R&D HQ near Stuttgart - where we were given the full lowdown on the Cayenne Hybrid. Porsche's hand has been forced by the current public and political climate surrounding CO2 and global warming - and the company has taken the unusual step of showing its prototypes even though they're a few years from production. Porsche, like most other manufacturers, has been reducing its emissions in recent years, but it knows it must be publicly seen to be doing something green. Economy improvements must be shouted about, especially when the next car you will launch, in 12 months' time, will be a very large four-seat super saloon – the Panamera. The Cayenne Hybrid is the antidote to Porsche's wilder excesses, and it's being developed in conjunction with VW and Audi.
Surely there is another way?

Apparently not, at least not in the short term. It is too late in the Mk1 Cayenne’s lifecycle to start making drastic weight reductions. Lightweight body panels would reduce crash strength and, more importantly, are deemed too costly. Any thoughts of making the Cayenne a more road-focused vehicle are also a non-starter because the marketing people insist the car must at least match the Range Rover on the rough stuff. And apparently having the full breadth of 4x4 abilities is a must in important markets like the Middle East and China. Why doesn't Porsche build a diesel Cayenne? Porsche reckons derv engines are too heavy, thus reducing performance and steering feel. The company believes that however you crack crude oil, petrol will always be produced, so while it is available and deemed to be superior to diesel Porsche will use it. And so we have a Cayenne Hybrid that should lower CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, but still allow the company to use combustion engines.