Doesn’t it seem as though the veteran sports car manufacturers are hanging up their speedy baseball caps and whipping out some family-oriented fedoras? What’s worse is that at the top of the list of manufacturers selling out on the game is our beloved Porsche. Their most recent family-mover catastrophe is the Porsche Panamera, but before that was their first take on the family vehicle: the Porsche Cayenne. Now the Cayenne is getting a little pint-sized brother called the Porsche Cajun, and it seems as if all hell is breaking loose on the go-fast front.
Should we be this upset with Porsche? After all, the Cajun is ready to roll with a 3.0-liter V-6 producing 290 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. There might even be a Cajun Turbo S with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 in the works. This setup is rated at 350 hp. Each model will come with Porsche’s typical add-ons such as the Sport Chrono pack with launch control, excellent brakes with optional carbon-ceramic discs, wheels and tires, and a complete exhaust system including a switchable free-flow sport muffler.
Well, maybe we shouldn’t be all that upset. After all, people should be able to get their kids to school while also having their fun on the weekends. But if Porsche comes out with a pick-up truck called the Hot Tamale, we’re taking our business elsewhere. Until then, we’ll try to keep an open mind when it comes to the Cajun.
Check out our rendering of the 2013 Porsche Cajun, and let us know what you think of Porsche’s most recent ode to the family in the comments section below!
Many Porsche lovers may not have been all that excited about the German auto manufacturer’s decision to produce the brand’s first SUV, the Cayenne, but these same people just about screamed when they heard that Porsche was also developing a smaller version of the Cayenne, the Cajun. Sorry to say, but they can’t all be 911s, guys. No matter how much we all want them to be.
Still, we’re playing along with the whole Porsche SUV thing because well, as much as we don’t want to admit it, the idea of a speedy people hauler is appealing. And to satisfy this innate need to go fast during "our" time and still be able to transport the kids safely, Porsche is bringing out the Cajun sometime in 2013. This crossover-type model will be based loosely on the Audi Q5, utilizing its chassis, steering, axles, and Quattro drivetrain. It will be powered by a 3.0L V6 engine producing 290hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is just enough for some, but we may need to opt for the Cajun Turbo S which will get a twin turbo 3.0L V6 with 350hp.
Porsche’s goal with the Cajun is to provide an efficient and sporty model that will be all the things we want in a car: lightweight, easy to handle, and agile. It will come out first as a four-seater, but a model set to seat five should debut at a later date.
It may not be a 911, but at least it’s not as confused as the Panamera. Don’t even get us started on that model.
Just when we get brand new information for Porsche’s future baby SUV, it all gets squashed like an undercooked halibut in Hell’s Kitchen. We just got word that Porsche was working on the Cajun with its design being lead by Walter DeSilva himself, and already the news is getting tackled by Porsche’s new chairman Matthias Mueller. In an interview with the British magazine Autocar, Mueller said that Porsche’s new models have been put on hold. Yes, that includes their new baby Boxster too. Thankfully, we still get to see the revised version of the 911 which is unaffected by the chairman’s decision.
"We have to clarify how we are to spread out our product programme — below, above, left and right and so on — and we will see. " he said. "There are a lot of questions still to be answered and we want to create a business case [for them]. Then it will be possible."
Mueller also stated that the target of 150,000 units a year isn’t so important: "Of course we have to increase volume, but we first have to look at the other issues; we have to have profit and we intend to keep ourselves premium."
Walter de’Silva, Volkswagen’s designer extraordinaire, is regarded as one of the foremost auto designers in the world, and now he’s got a new challenge in hand: designing the new Porsche Cajun SUV.
The new SUV, which will be slotted just below the Cayenne, is expected to hit dealerships in 2014, giving de’Silva and Porsche design director Michael Mauer some time to come up with a fresh new SUV that they’re planning to design in the image and liking of old Porsche models.
Given that Porsche has high hopes for the Cajun, it goes without saying that de’Silva will have his hands full with the design of the SUV. Not that he’s worried or anything, especially since he’s, well, Walter de’Silva.
When the SUV does end up in dealerships, it is expected to compete with a number of new SUVs in the market, including the BMW X3 and the soon-to-be-released Range Rover Evoque.
A slip of the tongue by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkom at the end of September let us in on a spicy little secret; Porsche has plans for a fiery little brother for the Porsche Cayenne. The smaller SUV will be called the Cajun and after a couple of weeks of letting that detail marinate, AutoBild has offered new details on the future SUV. According to them, the new model will be a two-door SUV-coupe, based on the technology of the Audi Q5 and will compete with the recently unveiled Land Rover Evoque. Production for the Cajun will begin in the spring of 2013 giving the Evoque a couple of years to win over the crowd.
Originally, the Cajun was planned as a four-door, but now the company has switched their focus over to a two-door version to start. When compared to the Q5, the Cajun features a slightly wider wheelbase, but a shorter exterior length. All exterior panels, LED headlights, tail lights, and the entire interior comes from the Porsche Design division.
Porsche has planned four engines which can be matched up with a manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The engine line-up includes a 2.0 TFSI pushing out 240 HP/350 Nm, a 3.0 TFSI delivering 292 HP/400 Nm, a 2.0 TDI producing 190 HP/350 NM, and a 3.0 TDI bringing 265 HP/500 NM.
Here’s a little scoop for all of you that have been pining for Porsche to finally release a baby brother for the Cayenne SUV. Until now, Porsche has kept tight-lipped on the prospect of releasing one in the first place, but Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkom may have let the cat out of the bag in an interview with the “Spiegel” when he mentioned that a new Porsche SUV – one that’s smaller than the Cayenne – is in the works and that it won’t come with the Roxster label that it has been previously associated with.
Instead, according to Winterkom, the new Porsche SUV would be called “the Cajun”.
“Volkswagen wants to bring more to radiate the Porsche brand,” he said. “There will be an additional model…a new SUV…a little brother for the Cayenne, the Cajun.”
Take this for what it’s worth because we’re holding our judgments until a formal announcement is made. But it is worth pointing out that since the quote came from Winterkom himself, it’s got a lot more weight to it than just hearing it from some random person.
We know Porsche said there won’t be a baby Cayenne in the future. And we also know they denied the Roxster name. But we want to take our chances and bet on a future baby Cayenee and even more on the "Roxster" name.
Even more if you take a look on the market and on the history a small SUV from Porsche is the most normal thing to happen. For instance, Porsche, Volkswagen and Audi have an SUV built on the same platform: the Cayenne, the Touareg and the Q7. Now, from the things we know there will be the Q5 and the Tiguan built on the same platform. And taking a look on the market: BMW has a small SUV: the X3 and also does Mercedes: the next MLK-Class. As a result we are sure that the baby SUV is going to happen, and will happen quite soon: two years after the Q5 will be launched.
The Cayenne is a real success on the SUV market, but Porsche also needs a small SUV for that part of the customers that prefer luxury, SUV and compact car all in only one model.
The upcoming baby Cayenne was already named by the Autobild magazine Roxster. It will share many of its components with the upcoming Audi Q5 and Volkswagen Tiguan. The Roxster will be a luxury car with sporty handling characteristics and high achievement. Sportier than the current Cayenne, it will feature muscular line contours, LED headlamps and taillights. Full story
A while ago there were rumors talking about a smaller SUV from Porsche; that was supposed to be called Roxster, but Porsche said "No, there’s no way we will build a baby Cayenne!" We have a question for you then Porsche: what is this small thing the spy photographers caught testing at Nurburgring? Deny this, if you can!
The future Porsche Roxster will be based on the same platform as the Audi Q5. We believe under the hood there will be a V6 and a V8 engine for the standard version and a turbocharged V8 for a Turbo version of the small Cayenne. The output will rank between 280 hp and 500 hp for the Turbo version.
About the performance, they will be improved compared to the big Cayenne, one main reason being the loose of weight. So, the Roxster will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.5 seconds and will have a top speed of 180 mph.
Few months ago there were rumors about a baby Cayenne (Roxster), but those rumors were denied by Porsche. But wait! It seems that a small SUV is back on track now that the company is increasing its stake in the Volkswagen Group from 31 percent to more than 50 percent.
The future Audi Q5 (that by the way will be unveiled next month at Beijing motor show) will be the basis for the next baby Cayenne. But also there are comments out of Ingolstadt saying that Audi board members blocked the move for fear the Porsche SUV would be a sales threat to the Q5.
Well, we will need to wait and see!
And back to the Q5m it seems that Audi will unveil its new seven-speed double-clutch S-tronic gearbox in the Q5. Known internally as the DL500, the transmission has been engineered for longitudinal engine layouts and can cope with torque loads up to 405 lb-ft and engine revs of up to 8500 rpm.
After rumors about a small SUV from Porsche have been denied, now AutoZeituning reports that the company is working on a new compact model that will take components from the future Audi A3. Will this compact porsche be named the Roxster? Or is this new Roxster name a pure diversion to confuse us all?
As we previously reported, Autobild also launched some rumors about a compact secret Porsche that will be unveiled in 2012.
The new model will be powered by the same 295 hp flat-six engine (... > Full story