An industry newsletter says that Porsche will introduce a diesel-powered car by the middle of 2009. Porsche is expected to offer a diesel variant for the Cayenne SUV taking the engine directly from Volkswagen in order to save it self some money on development cost.

According to the AID newsletter that cited Porsche sources, Porsche executives have overcome their long-time fear of offering diesel engines in their cars. CEO Wendelin Wiedking had previously told Automotive News Europe that because of the additional cost and the low sales volume of Porsche cars, he didn’t think it made much business sense to go diesel.

A Porsche spokesman said that the issue still remains under discussion internally and that Porsche has made no decision as of yet. In 2010, Porsche will also offer a hybrid variant for the Cayenne SUV.

 

missions regulations are causing profound impacts on automakers these days, and Porsche is finally answering the call with a diesel model next year. The Stuttgart-based company is planning to offer a diesel powered version of its Cayenne SUV.

The choice of engine would most probably be a V6 borrowed from Audi, says UK auto industry analyst Peter Schmidt via Automotive News Europe. Other more powerful engines (V8, V10, and V12) were also considered, but eventually called off due to their heaviness.

Audi is believed to be developing an efficient twin-turbocharged 3.2 litre V6 diesel engine producing more than 300 hp, which is the most logical candidate for this purpose.

There has been no word from Porsche on this, but we all know what CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has in mind in respect of tackling fuel-economy issues. Just over a month ago, Porsche announced that it is co-developing hybrid systems with Volkswagen for the Cayenne and the upcoming Panamera.