A Luxury Hybrid Porsche Devotees Can Be Proud Of: The 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid

Drivers in North America won’t be able to get behind the wheel of a 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid until this fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start obsessing over it now. Much sleeker and sexier-looking than previous models, the Cayenne S Hybrid is able to run on gas, electric power, or both, allowing for a rumored combined fuel economy of 29 miles per gallon. (EPA-certified fuel economy figures won’t be available until the cars reach North America.)

So what do you need to know? Here are the important stats. The vehicle will be all-wheel-drive with a revolutionary Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic transmission, powered by a 3-liter V-6 engine and a 47-horsepower electronic motor. From the SUV’s start to 35 miles per hour, it will run purely on electricity, and then the gas engine’s power will kick in. The innovative transmission in the Cayenne S Hybrid, however, will provide the driver with the ability to switch the vehicle’s power source from the gas engine to the electric motor and vice versa, so that it can cruise on electricity alone during highway driving and the like. The SUV’s overall speed will top out at 150 miles per hour, and when it arrives stateside, it’s expected to begin around $68,000.

According to The New York Times, the hybrid version is 40 percent more fuel-efficient than its 2010 non-hybrid Cayenne S counterpart.

Visit Porsche’s site for details