Porsche adds Cayenne S E-Hybrid to 2015 lineup

Porsche is positioning its Cayenne as a sports car among sport utility vehicles (SUVs), offering seating for five paired with the high-performance driving experience associated with the brand name. One entrant in the new Cayenne lineup for 2015 is getting attention, and that is the upcoming arrival of the Cayenne S E-Hybrid this year. Starting November 1, 2014, the Cayenne will launch in four versions in the United States: Cayenne Diesel, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and the world premiere of the Cayenne S E-Hybrid—marking a plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment with features that indicate it will be fast and powerful. "The technical progress made here is immense compared to the previous Cayenne S Hybrid," said Porsche. Enabling pure electric driving will be a lithium-ion traction battery in this new model, with an energy capacity of 10.8 kWh.

Porsche Car Connect is standard on this vehicle, and allows the driver to pull relevant vehicle data from a smart phone.

The power of the electric motor was more than doubled, from 47 hp to 95 hp, for an all-electric top speed of 78 mph. Combined with the 3.0 liter supercharged V6 (333 hp), a total system power of 416 hp at 5,500 rpm and a total system torque of 435 lb.-ft. from 1,250 to 4,000 rpm is available, said Porsche. "This enables driving performance on the level of a sports car: zero to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 151 mph." Noted Gizmag: "Porsche has not yet estimated US mpg numbers, and it doesn't say how far the SUV can travel on electric power. For reference, the Panamera S E-Hybrid is estimated at 50 mpg-e combined and can roll up to 15 miles (24.1 km) on electric power alone."

This is one of three plug in hybrid models from Porsche; the other two are the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder.

The new four heading out for November are priced as $61,700 for the Cayenne Diesel, $74,100 for the Cayenne S, $76,400 for the Cayenne S E-Hybrid and $113,600 for the Cayenne Turbo. MSRPs are excluding destination charges of $995, said the news release.

"In the current model line-up, the Panamera S E-Hybrid is setting standards worldwide as the first plug-in vehicle of the premium class. The Cayenne S E-Hybrid is now transferring this forward-looking technology to the premium SUV segment," said Porsche. All new Cayenne models feature what Porsche calls "optimized thermal management." Active air flaps are used for the first time in the Cayenne models. They are located behind the center air intake and are controlled by engine management. They are opened or closed according to the driving situation and cooling demands. This allows them to adjust the air volume available for cooling. When closed they improve aerodynamics, reducing air drag and improving fuel economy.

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