Porsche has dumped its proposed plans to make a baby Cayenne based on the Q5 architecture and is instead pushing ahead with its second generation Cayenne which will be launched somewhere near 2011.

The new generation Cayenne will also feature some of the technology and learnings from the Panamera program. The second generation of the Porsche SUV will feature the stop-start system  and hybrid model running a 52 bhp electric motor with a supercharged V6 petrol engine.

Launched in the year 2003, Porsche Cayenne has went on to become a huge success, much against the expectations of some who thought that it was taking away from Porsche’s legacy and that it was ugly. Almost half of Porsche’s production numbers come from this model alone!

The current Cayenne shares its platform with the VW Touareg and while the next generation Touareg has been spotted testing, Cayenne cant be too far behind as they will share the architecture again.

Jump over for more details and spy shot gallery.

Source: carmagazine uk

The new second generation of the common architecture will be completely revised and will go on a crash diet. The SUV’s based on this new platform(Cayenne, Touareg and Q7) will be a whopping 200 kilograms lighter in the interests of fuel economy and emissions while also enabling them to perform better, on or off the road.

A full aluminium body was considered but was dropped in favour of costs involved and the outlay. The new platform will make extensive use of aluminium for the doors, boot and bonnet. New Cayenne’s wheelbase will be increased by around 50mm which isnt much but Porsche will tweak the interior seats and arrangements to liberate extra bit of space which is most welcome considering the middle seats on the current Cayenne are not the most generous around.

The interiors will also take their inspiration from Panamera with the same central console with a large LCD touch screen flanked by air vents on each side. The transmission tunnel will have the vast array of buttons just like the Panamera with extra controls for 4X4 differentials and adaptive air suspension and a grab handle for the passengers to hold themselves in the rough.

The looks will an evolutions of the current Cayenne with the same 911 esque headlights and huge air intakes to feed the engine. The rear will features the biggest change as far as exteriors are concerned with both the indicators and reversing lamps now being mounted on the tailgate.

The engine line up more or less remains the same with the same direct injection 4.8 Litre V8 in both naturally aspirated and twin-turbo forms. There also be two V6’s, a petrol and diesel each. The 3.0 Litre diesel engine in the current Cayenne will be tweaked to produce around 300 bhp while the V6 petrol will come in naturally aspirated or supercharged forms and form the base for the hybrid version. As with the Panamera, all the PDK equipped models will also come with stop-start system as standard.

The hybrid version will feature a 52 bhp electric motor with 210 lbft of torque mated to a supercharged 3.0 Litre V6 with 328 bhp and 324 lbft of torque. The two will then be mated through an 8-speed Aisin Automatic transmission with a stop-start function. The Cayenne hybrid will be able to run on electric power alone upto speeds of 30 mph with the electric motor also occasionally taking over the propulsion duties at speeds upto 86 mph!

2011 Porsche Cayenne Gallery