Geneva 2010: 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid World Premiere

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Overshadowed by the launch of the 918 Spyder Concept, Porsche’s Geneva Auto Show press conference also marked the debut of the all-new 2011 Cayenne and Cayenne Hybrid. The redesign is a big improvement, giving the capable SUV a more sporty crossover look in keeping with the trend these days. It does, however, retain full SUV capability (not that anyone will use it though).

With the 918 Spyder being a hybrid, and the GT3 R being a hybrid race car, it was only fitting that the new Cayenne was also the hybrid version – the first production hybrid by Porsche.

The 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid is powered by a 3.o-liter V6 engine that supercharged and mated to a 47-hp electric motor for a total of 380-hp and 427 ft-lbs of torque. Porsche claims the Cayenne S Hybrid can travel up to 40 mph on just electric power and can cruise on pure electric power at speeds of up to 97 mph.

As for the rest of the 2011 Cayenne lineup, the standard model is powered by a new 300-hp V6 with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while Cayenne S models get the same 4.8-liter V8 with power upped to 400-hp. (Acceleration in the Cayenne S should be drastically improved thanks to an overall curb weight that has been reduced by 400 lbs). As for the Turbo, it makes 500-hp from a twin-turbo version of the 4.8-liter V8.

Thanks to new technology and significantly reduced curb weights, call Cayenne models get improvements in fuel economy, most by 20 percent or more. While no specific numbers for the Cayenne S hybrid are available, Porsche says it (along with the Diesel and standard V6 Cayenne) achieves better than 23.5 mpg in the European Test Cycle.

We expect Porsche to announce Pricing in the coming weeks.

More: 2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage on AutoGuide.com