Cayenne S Hybrid Goes For $67,700

Coming this fall to an overly-smug, overly-paid rich dork near you, it's the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, and for a measly $67,700. Such a deal, huh? Sure, in a few ways of looking at it, having a hybrid version of this Carmela Soprano-mobile is a good thing, but did they really have to do this?

The all-new Cayenne S Hybrid, which is Porsche's first production hybrid, sets the standard in its class in efficiency and performance. And compared to the previous Cayenne models, fuel consumption has dropped by up to 23 percent in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Official EPA numbers are not yet available.

The North American Cayenne model range has four models: The Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo and the Cayenne S Hybrid. The S and Turbo models go on sale this July, with the Cayenne and Cayenne S Hybrid in dealer showrooms by this fall.

In case you're wondering, the prices for Cayennes range from $46,700 for the entry level Cayenne all the way up to a sticker price of $104,800 for the top of the line 500-horsepower Cayenne Turbo. The new 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid falls more or less in the middle of that spectrum with the aforementioned $67,700.

So, besides tarnishing their image just a little bit more, why would Porsche do this? My first thought is that it's easier for Porsche to put its eggs in this basket, rather than start mucking around with their 911 end of things. Also, since the Cayenne is the Porsche version of corporate siblings Audi and Volkswagen's SUVs, and they all run hybrid drivetrains, it's sort of a badge engineering deal.

But really, is that what Porsche, the self-proclaimed best in the world has sunk to? SUVs for rank suburbanites and badge engineering? A sad, sad time indeed.

Source: AutoBlogGreen