"Going green" has been the prevailing theme of automakers in 2007 as more brands are jumping on the "hybrid-wagon" as they unveil their alternative fuel offerings or concepts at auto shows. Porsche's prototype Cayenne Hybrid, which first appeared at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, is a good example. The new Cayenne is expected to use 25 percent less gas which translates to less than 10 liters per 100 km. Not bad at all for a SUV with a 3.6 liter six-cylinder engine.
What’s more remarkable is the "parallel full hybrid" technology used
for the Cayenne Hybrid, which is developed together in with Volkswagen
and Audi. This enables the car to cruise up to 120km/h (or 75 mph)
purely on electric power. This is possible because the complex hybrid
manager in the Cayenne Hybrid, as its name suggests, “manages” the
transitions between internal combustion engine, electric motor and
battery to achieve optimum fuel economy. The Cayenne Hyrbid is expected
to go into production at the end of this decade, with Porsche already
exploring a similar concept for its new Panamera, due for 2009.
www.porsche.com