Hybrid Cayenne Undergoes Final Endurance Test
In Germany, Porsche pre-production vehicles are proving their worth in sub-zero temperatures while hybrid Cayennes are in a final round of tests in South Africa.
Thanks to e-performance, the Panamera is already on the road to success. Porsche will soon extend its hybrid strategy, inspired by the 918 Spyder, to the new generation of Cayenne vehicles. But before this can happen, rigorous tests must be carried out.
As part of the road-testing program in the German town of Hemmingen, headquarters of the SUV series, pre-production vehicles reel off the test miles in rainy weather and sub-zero temperatures, while a handful of hybrid Cayenne vehicles are being put through a final round of tests in far-off South Africa. Here, dusty slopes alternate with rough asphalt. Dense, traffic-packed city roads in and around Johannesburg give way to rugged mountain passes more than 3,000 meters high. These are challenging conditions for all of the components involved. In the current round of tests, the focus was on the hybrid units of the new Cayenne derivative in particular.
“We are on the cusp of the market launch and are bringing the vehicles up to speed in terms of functionality,” says Oliver Laqua, Director Complete Vehicle Product Line SUV. “We are testing them here once again in a customer-focused way.”
‘Our goal is to deliver a vehicle to the customer that is 100 percent perfect.’
Like the Panamera, Porsche promises that the hybrid Cayenne will also feature the perfect combination of “everyday comfort, optimum efficiency, and maximum performance.” During the testing phase, the new derivative has had to prove that it offers all of these features in the most difficult conditions and across different continents, including temperatures of minus 40 degrees in northern Canada and plus 40 degrees in the deserts of Dubai. In South Africa, the testing program has focused on the final elements of fine tuning.
“Our goal is to deliver a vehicle to the customer that is 100 percent perfectâ€, says Peter Hass, Team Manager Quality Management and Testing.