Logo

Various news outlets have speculated that Porsche's first-ever diesel engine would be installed in the Cayenne SUV for 2009, and now Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has confirmed it. As previously reported, the oil-burner will be snatched from the Audi parts bin and reportedly be essentially unchanged in Porsche guise. That means 240 horsepower and 406 lb.-ft. of torque, plenty to get the hefty Cayenne out of its own way. Instead of spending development money on a Porsche-specific diesel engine, Zuffenhausen has instead invested in a hybrid system, which will also see duty in the Cayenne around 2010. By then, a lithium-ion battery will likely be ready to replace the prototype's nickel-based unit.