Porsche’s->ke212 performance SUV, the Cayenne, is usually equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 as standard, but things will be a bit different in China because of the country’s tax laws.

According to Motor Authority, the base Cayenne will arrive in China with the motor from the Audi S4->ke1088, a 3.0-liter supercharged TFSI V6. For those of you who are unaware, this is the same motor that is used in the Cayenne S Hybrid.

The reason that China will be getting this model is due to its displacement. In China, any cars that are between 3.0-liter and 4.0-liter are subject to a 40 percent tax. This could mean a massive penalty for those of us in the U.S and Europe. Thankfully, the new TFSI V6 is really a 2,995cc motor, so it gets a 25 percent tax, not the massive 40.

Yet, will smaller be better? We all know how good the Audi->ke14 motor is and it might actually help the Cayenne perform better than it does here. The 3.0-liter V6 puts out 333 horsepower, 33 more than in the 3.6-liter. Not to mention the smaller motor should get better fuel economy.

So, despite their massive tax, China seems to be getting the better of the two engines. No word on if Porsche->ke1 will share their new Cayenne 3.0 with us in the United States, as it would probably hike up the price of the $47,000 SUV.

Yet, as is the way with these things, the 3.0-liter will probably remain in China, as Porsche will likely keep it there, for fear that a more powerful and fuel-efficient Cayenne->ke212 would hurt sales of the hybrid model.

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