Autoblog

Porsche made it all official today. New European regulations that result in tax credits for diesel vehicles have spurred the automaker to drop an oil-burner under the hood of the Cayenne starting in February, 2009. Audi's 3.0L TDI V6 gets the call and will give the Cayenne diesel 240 horsepower, a peak torque rating of 405 lb-ft and a 25 mpg fuel economy number. The all-important (in Europe) CO2 emissions number is 244 g/km. There are no visual indicators to distinguish the diesel from the gas-powered base Cayenne. You have to look under the hood, where the engine cover is emblazoned with "3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel Injection" if you're hell-bent on finding some branding.

While the diesel Cayenne is a Europe-only model for now, Porsche pretty much says that other markets and countries are to follow. Will that include us? Who knows. You can bet that Stuttgart's going to keep tabs on how well Mercedes' new Bluetec trucks and Audi's forthcoming U.S.-market Q7 TDI do in the States before it makes a decision. We don't see them shipping over the Cayenne diesel unless it's pretty clear that it'll find an audience. The full press release from Porsche is pasted after the jump.


[Source: Porsche]

A gent named Chris at VW of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, just received the order guide for the Touareg V6 TDI, and the numbers reveal that it will arrive on our shores in January with a base price of $42,800, or $43,490 with the destination charge. That base price is $3,500 more than the Touareg V6 FSI, money that will get you slightly less horsepower but about 150 lb-ft. more torque and about 4.5 more mpg. Options include the Luxury Package for $2,700, Tech Package for $3,350, and Luxury Plus for $5,400. If you want to do something with your Touareg other than go get hotdogs, the rear locking diff is $700, a trailer hitch runs you $500, and you can throw in the silkiness that is the four-corner air suspension for $2,750. There's no word yet on invoice pricing, and it will be interesting to see if people stump up for the premium without getting huge deals on the lot.

[Source: Club Touareg]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the edo competition Cayenne GTS

For Porsche Cayenne GTS owners who wish they would've opted for the forced induction 'ute, edo competition has come up with a performance and styling package that helps close the gap between the two models. The German tuner adds another 45 horsepower through the use of high-flow cats, a performance air filter, and a recalibration of the ECU. As a result, the Cayenne GTS is capable of reaching 60 mph in a mere 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph. Handling and braking is improved with massive 15-inch, six-piston front brakes and an adjustable sport suspension. Other upgrades include 22-inch forged wheels, power dome hood, a new front fascia, and a variety of interior options. Full details are in the press release after the jump, and plenty of high-res photographs can be found in the gallery below.

[Source: edo competition]

Newly-crowned Formula one world champion Lewis Hamilton may have to wait a little while longer to get his hands on that bright orange McLaren F1 LM, but what does he drive in the meantime? Gunning for the title all season in the Mercedes-powered McLaren MP4-23, he certainly isn't lacking for a fast ride on the weekends, and he'd surely have his pick of any Mercedes car in the German automaker's vast lineup. But while the Mercedes SLR McLaren might be a natural choice, Lewis chooses to drive the daily grind in a diesel sport-ute. Specifically, a Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI. "At the track," explains Lewis, "I always drive on the limit, but on public roads I like to relax, kick back and cruise. The GL's perfect for that."

[Source: What Car?]

Leave the Saint Bernards at home, honey, we've got something better. The Subaru Mountain Rescue Vehicle was made for the National Ski Patrol -- an organization we had never heard of until we saw this truck. On its tiptoes it has 14 inches of clearance, and the staid passenger car driving compartment is balanced by the diamond plate floor and steel walls in the rear. Its got more flashing lights than K-Mart, and a 9,500-pound winch in case you need to rescue snowcats. And apparently, when ski time is over, you can hop in the toboggan that's mounted on the roof. Or you can put injured people in it. Your choice. Have a look at the mighty mountain rescue ranger vehicle in the gallery of high-res photos below.

UPDATE: Image removed at request of owner.

At first we couldn't understand why the BMW X6 was birthed, and then we couldn't figure out why Acura of all companies needed to create something to compete with it. Top Speed has rendered unto us what such an enigma might look like, and, well, it ain't all bad. That's probably because it looks like an MDX with a descending roofline out back. Of course, it's impossible to know how much of any rendering is pure fiction, but The Majestic Shield of Acura matched with those lights and a proper amount of real estate could be the ideal pairing of design features and suitable canvas. Porsche's floating LEDs in the front bumper don't go astray, either. We still can't say it makes sense, but Acura, if you're really going to do this, have a look here first.

[Source: Top Speed]

With the Escalade on the ropes, it looks like Kia might step in to rescue all those lovers of blacked-out blinged-up chromed-out big-wheeled SUVs. The metallic black Borrego Limited Concept that debuted at SEMA today gets chrome exterior mirrors, chrome upper and lower grilles, chrome door handles, a chrome rear bumper insert, and "flashy 22-inch Avarus chrome wheels." Inside it gets (faux) alligator skin. That's right. A Kia Borrego with (faux) alligator skin. And what good is a (faux) alligator without a TV and a DVD player to complete that "assertive and sophisticated stance fit for a motorcade as much as cruising down the Vegas strip." True, this would be generic medication compared to the Escalade's real deal, but it'll be much cheaper and probably still get the job done. Maybe. But watch out for the side effects. Have a look at the not-quite-reptilian Borrego in the gallery of high-res photos below. Oh, and for the record, the Soul will be officially revealed on the 19th, at the LA Auto Show.

Not too long ago, Hyundai didn't compete directly with anything coming out of Germany (or perhaps that's the other way around). Now Hyundai is determined not to let up on its recently-made foes. Today it unveiled the R-Engine, a new diesel in two capacities that the company says "can comfortably beat the power outputs of all German and French competitors." So there.

The Euro-V compliant, common-rail lumps come in 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter flavors, each with piezo-electric fuel injectors and electronic variable geometry turbos. Refinement comes via an internal, silent steel timing chain and a lower balance shaft housed in a stiffened ladder-frame housing. Weight has also been reduced thanks to a head cover, intake manifold and oil filter housing all made from plastic.

The 2.0-liter R-Engine puts out 181 hp and 289 lb-ft. That compares to 170 hp and 258 lb-ft for Audi's 2.0-liter TDI. The 2.2 liter Hyundai diesel pushes 197 hp and 321 lb-ft. , which compares with 215 hp and 398 lb.-ft. for Mecedes' 3.2-liter BLUETEC CDI.

Hyundai says the first vehicles to get the new diesel R engine will be SUVs and large sedans sold in Europe. Unfortunately, there appear to be no plans to bring it to the U.S. where our diesel emissions standards are higher than the Old Country's, at least for now.

[Source: Hyundai]

Click above for hghi-res gallery of the Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris SSUV

You would think that with the economy in shambles and public opinion mounting against high-powered SUVs, the idea of creating a $300k exotic super-sport-utility would be a non-starter. You would think, but you'd be wrong, as the latest reports indicate that troubled Dutch niche automaker Spyker has finally given the green for its D12 Peking-to-Paris SSUV.

The concept, which was designed by Michiel van den Brink (the same guy behind the 599 GTO project, among others), initially made its debut at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, with a pre-production version bowing the following year. Power was initially tipped to come from a VW Group-sourced 500-hp W12 engine, but later reports suggested a switch to American V8 muscle (likely from GM or Ford). Development, meanwhile, may benefit from Lotus engineering input. Previous reports also suggested the D12 would hit production sometime next year, and indicated pricing now pegs the sticker at £186k, approximately $295,000 at today's rates. In order to remain viable, Spyker will need to bring the model to the American market, but the price is sure to be adjusted closer to $200k, still making it the most expensive and most exotic production SUV known to man.

[Source: Autocar]

We reported last month that General Motors could move the next Cadillac Escalade to its Lambda platform that's currently used by the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse, and now GM Inside News is reporting via an inside source that the Suburban/Yukon XL may also get the unibody treatment. With replacements for the smaller Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Escalade reportedly cancelled, we think all signs are pointing to each GMT900-based SUV moving over to the Lambda platform with some of the current slow-selling Lambda-based models being cut altogether.

But the craziness doesn't end there. GM Inside News also reports an even more surprising vehicle could get moved to the crossover platform: the Dodge Caravan, assuming of course that the General follows through on talks to purchase Chrysler from Cerberus. You may recall that GM abandoned the minivan market earlier this year in favor of its Lambda-based crossovers.

The Lambda platform must be extremely modular if it can be stretched enough to accommodate the size of the Suburban along with the people- and cargo-carrying capacity of a Dodge minivan. Also on the rumormill menu is a possible Chevrolet version of the minivan. These changes are supposedly set to take place by 2014, and plenty of things can and will change by then. In other words, talk this all with a grain of salt.

[Source: GM Inside News]