Hybrid Porsche Cayenne details emerge

To some, the very existence of a giant 4x4 wearing a Porsche badge is heresy - so the Stuttgart maker's latest announcement must have the Porsche purists blind with fury. Yes, the Porsche Cayenne hybrid is official, and it's coming in 2010.

But really, we already knew that. What Porsche has revealed, however, is just how clever its new hybrid system is. And in actual fact, Porsche pioneered the development of a hybrid petrol-electric drivetrain way back in 1900 - so the purists can't get too vexed. Back to the future, the Cayenne hybrid will mate a 333bhp 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine with a 52bhp electric motor, which can be used either to boost performance alongside the V6, or alone in 'sailing mode'.

And it's that which is most interesting about this hybrid, because sailing mode allows the petrol engine to be switched off at high cruising speeds (up to 86mph), which means miles of CO₂ free motorway driving. Still, the combined output of the engine and electric motor is 374bhp with maximum torque of 406lb.ft at 2,900rpm, so 0-62mph happens in just 6.8 seconds. Yet, the Cayenne S hybrid posts 31.4mpg on the combined cycle and emits just 210g/km of CO₂ - not too shabby for a monolithic SUV. Porsche claims the six-cylinder hybrid 'combines the output of an eight cylinder with the fuel consumption of a four cylinder.'

There's no word on price just yet, but as it's badged 'S' don't expect a figure south of £45,000.

Mark Nichol