Porsche was first to the market with an SUV model based on the vehicle architecture developed jointly between
Volkswagen, Audi and itself. The original Cayenne was released back in 2002, one year ahead of the VW
Touareg and four years ahead of the
Audi Q7. The sports car brand is now reported to pushing VW to speed up development of projects that are shared in common, namely, the replacement design for the SUV family.
Execs at Porsche hope to launch the new Cayenne by the first half of 2010, however, the second-gen Touareg isn't due to make an appearance until late 2010 at the earliest. Germany’s
Automobilwoche reports that Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking is using his ever increasing control of VW Group to rush projects that would favor Porsche, even if it disadvantages VW. Audi, meanwhile, isn’t expected to replace its Q7 SUV with a new model until 2013.
Wiedeking made it clear to the VW board in January last year that he hopes to speed up development of the Cayenne because of fears of the worsening demand for thirsty SUVs and rising oil prices. The new model will be much more fuel-efficient and will feature a new
hybrid model in its lineup.
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By HECTOR Posted: 6/18/2007 6:45am PDT
The jury is still out on whether a Porsche takeover of VW is a good thing. Let's not forget what just happened to the Daimler-Chrysler adventure...
By admin Posted: 6/18/2007 6:51am PDT
By Gus Posted: 6/18/2007 10:58am PDT
By Julius Posted: 6/18/2007 11:25pm PDT
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