Porsche(R) Releases First Photo of Cayenne(R); Highly Anticipated Sport Utility Vehicle to Make Debut in Late 2002

ATLANTA, March 5 -- Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) today revealed the first glimpse of its luxury sport utility vehicle, the Porsche Cayenne.

Taking the Porsche experience to a new level, the Cayenne will create the perfect balance of performance and power, delivering outstanding on-pavement performance and very good off-pavement characteristics. The vehicle's debut is slated for the last half of 2002. Photos released today are of the Cayenne Turbo, which will be powered by a Porsche-designed 4.5-liter, twin turbocharged V-8 engine rated at 450 horsepower and producing 457 lb-ft of torque.

Porsche also announced a second model, the normally aspirated, 4.5-liter, V-8-powered Cayenne S, which is rated at 340 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The Cayenne Turbo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds, vs. 7.2 seconds for the Cayenne S. The Cayenne's towing capacity is 3,500 kilograms, or 7,716 lbs. A six-speed Tiptronic S transmission is standard equipment on the Cayenne Turbo, and both Cayenne versions have permanent all-wheel drive, an inter-axle differential lock and additional low-range gears, and the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system.

Additional front air inlets, power domes on the hood, and four exhaust tailpipes help distinguish the Cayenne Turbo from the Cayenne S. The Cayenne Turbo and Cayenne S are 75.9 inches wide and 66.9 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 112.4 inches. The overall length of the Turbo version is 188.43 inches, vs. 188.27 inches for the Cayenne S.

"Porsche has been at the forefront of all-wheel-drive design," said Frederick J. Schwab, PCNA president and CEO. "From the Lohner-Porsche in 1900 to the Porsche 959 in 1985, Porsche has been engineering four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles.

The Cayenne is a natural for us, and it will put the sport in sport utility vehicles." After three years of comprehensive testing in remote locations across the globe, the Cayenne concept was approved. The requirements: satisfy Porsche's performance and quality standards and meet the utility and reliability expectations of an SUV. Cayenne production will take place in Leipzig, Germany, in a newly constructed factory, but its engine -- or heart -- will be built in Zuffenhausen.

Porsche will produce approximately 25,000 Cayennes during the first full year of production, 70 percent of which will be for export. In anticipation of the Cayenne's arrival, PCNA recently launched the Cayenne Crossing Initiative, a multi-year program designed to reclaim America's paved and unpaved roads. Chaired by actor James Brolin, the program will include a variety of U.S. road restoration and maintenance projects along a route that stretches from coast to coast. Cayenne Crossing Initiative partners will include Treadlightly!, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the San Bernardino National Forest Association and the Porsche Club of America.

Initial restoration efforts will begin this summer in California's San Bernardino National Forest and Virginia's George Washington National Forest. For more information about the Cayenne, visit http://www.porschecayenne.com .