USA Today - Porsche may not only sell diesel versions of its Cayenne SUV in the U.S., but add a diesel version of its swoopy Panamera sedan as well, Automotive News reports.
Cayenne seemed like a natural candidate for a diesel, but the possibility that it could come to Panamera, too, is a surprise. Its diesel version, and a gas-electric hybrid, may be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, according to the News.
Turning a performance-oriented sedan into a diesel car shows the lengths that automakers are having to go to deal with toughened fuel-mileage standards coming by 2016. Panamera, like Porsche's roadsters, is all about performance -- and a diesel doesn't seem to add to that.
Audi and Volkswagen have seen some success with diesels, and Mercedes-Benz offers them, too.
In only two years since Cayenne diesel was introduced into Europe, it, plus the hybrid version, now account for 30% of sales. China won't be getting a diesel because Porsche thinks the diesel fuel quality is too lousy.
