Porsche is Reducing Fuel Consumption with every New Model it Introduces

No manufacturer, not even performance orientated Porsche, can ignore the "green wave" that has hit the automotive industry. With hybrids and EVs becoming increasingly popular, it's clear that sports cars have to step it up a notch.

It doesn't really matter to pencil-pushing government officials that, in the real world, high performance vehicles aren't driven as much, so, in the overall scheme of things, they actually pollute a lot less than your suburban folk's Prius. They just want to see numbers.

So, Porsche is going greener with each new model it is launching, the Cayenne being the vanguard of this effort. The Germans achieved significant fuel savings in the New European Driving Cycle (or NEDC), ranging from 13 to 23% for all available model series in comparison with their predecessors. This means all Porsches using naturally aspirated engines consume 0.5 to 0.6 less liters of fuel per 100 km.

The Stuttgart firm's engineers achieved this by switching over to direct fuel injection and adopting newer transmissions like the PDK dual-clutch auto and the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic. Other measures taken to make Porsche as green as ever are massive weight savings (i.e. 185 kg/408 lbs for the new Cayenne Turbo) - and we'll be seeing more of that in future models.

The 911 Carrera with PDK consumes only 9.8 lt/100 km (24 US mpg), while the Boxster S and the Cayman S do with 9.4 liters per 100km (25 US mpg).

The Cayenne is even more frugal, with the Cayenne S Hybrid really shining on this task. Good for a total output of 380 hp (283 kW), Porsche's hybrid is almost as powerful as the previous generation Cayenne S (385 hp/287 kW), yet it returns a combined 8.2 lt/100 km (28.7 US mpg) representing a 40% gain in fuel economy with CO2 emissions of 200 g/km. Wealthy tree-huggers rejoice.

By Csaba Daradics

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All 500 Examples of 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Sold Out

It took a bit longer than GM's $75,000 Neiman Marcus Camaro Convertible, which sold out in three minutes, but Porsche has managed to secure customer commitments for all 500 units of its limited production 911 GT2 RS less than two months after the supercar's world premiere at the Moscow Auto Show in August.

According to the Stuttgart automaker, here in the U.S., the company has pre-sold 133 examples of the 911 GT2 RS, all of which will be delivered to their respective owners in February 2011.

The new 911 GT RS is motivated by a 3.6-liter six-cylinder boxer engine boosted by two turbochargers with variable turbine geometry, producing 620-horsepower and 700Nm or 516 lb-ft of peak torque. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, with Porsche claiming 0-100km/h [62 mph] sprint time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h [205 mph].

The company also states that the new 911 GT2 RS is the fastest and most powerful road-going Porsche ever built turning the Nürburgring race track in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds. Read more about the R in our previous post here.

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RUF's Porsche 911 Roadster is Less 'Ruf' and More 'Tuf'

In 1967, Porsche launched its first Targa variant of the 911. This incredible and oh-so-stylish vehicle had a removable fabric roof panel above the front seats and a convertible-like folding rear window. In a matter of seconds it could be transformed from a pseudo-hardtop into a convertible with built-in rollbar. In the 1980s, customers could option a non-collapsible glass rear window for that extra piece of mind.

Nowadays, the Targa is simply a Porsche 911 with some chrome trim and a sliding glass roof. Bo-ring. Clearly someone at Ruf agrees with me, as they have launched a new model that emulates the 911 Targas of the late 1960s.

Called the Ruf Roadster, it features two removable roof panels made of carbon fibre and a folding rear window. It even has the stainless steel-effect rollbar of the original Targa. My inner fanboy is very happy. Five-spoke 19 inch forged aluminium wheels complement the car nicely.

The Roadster will be available with either a non-turbo 294 kw (400 hp) or a turbo 412 kw (450 hp) six-cylinder boxer engine and a six speed manual gearbox. A dual clutch 'box and four-wheel drive are also available as an option, with pricing starting around the €195,000 (US$274,440) mark.

Ruf is also planning a limited run of "eRuf Roadsters", which will be electric powered.

By Tristan Hankins

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