And so it begins….. Porsche recently posted impressive improvements in sales and profitability across the globe. Those increases were primarily off the back of two models – the redesigned 2011 Cayenne and the all-new Panamera four-door sedan. Both the Cayenne and Panamera are models that most Porsche purists wish had never existed.

Porsche, an independent company at the time of approval of these models, saw the benefit of adding model lines and continuing to survive on its own in the automotive industry. In terms of profitability, the move paid off brilliantly. As for remaining independent?

Those gigantic profits enabled Porsche to undertake take bigger developments than ever, and led to an attempted purchase of Volkswagen. That move didn’t work out so well and instead, Porsche is on its way to becoming another brand in VW’s ever-expanding luxury and performance brand portfolio.

With Porsche’s integration into VW inevitable, attention has turned to what is next for Porsche. Hopefully that will include the 918 Spyder, but what about another permanent addition to the model lineuep? As one of the most profitable brands in the world, will the model line expansion continue? The answer today is yes.

The oft-rumored small Porsche SUV has officially been confirmed, and under its assumed name – “Cajun.” Cayenne and Cajun; Porsche apparently has a thing for spicy foods.

Porsche says it will be an “efficient and sporty model” that will “have a very positive impact with its typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility.”

Somehow we think those typical Porsche features would be a lot better displayed in a new sports car, like say a mid-engined roadster to slot in below the Boxster. Dubbed as an entry-level model, Porsche is planning on the Cajun as a way to attract new and younger customers. Reports say it will share a platform with the Audi Q5 crossover. Audi stands to benefit a lot from the combined economies of scale and investment of Porsche sharing its platforms.

What this means is that the Porsche brand name is continually being diluted – two SUV’s and a sedan – what’s next? It isn’t clear where the Volkswagen-owned Porsche will draw the line in a continual quest for increased growth and profits. We’ll have to wait and see. @Automoblog

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Chrysler, Dodge

Only days after our readers stumbled upon Dodge’s test site for the 2011 Durango, the official word has been given from Chrysler that its new unibody SUV/crossover will, in fact, wear the Durango nameplate. As you’ll recall, this new Dodge sport-ute was rumored to serve as a rebirth for the Magnum moniker, but it appears that those plans – if indeed they ever existed – have been scrapped.

The 2011 Durango shares the vast majority of its architecture from the new Jeep Grand Cherokee (which isn’t a bad point to work from), and we expect both the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 5.7-liter Hemi V8 to be available underhood. Curiously, Dodge refers to the new Durango as a “three-row performance SUV” in its press release, which leads us to believe that Chrysler might have another trick or two up its sleeve. Durango SRT8? Makes sense, especially since the new 6.4-liter Hemi is slated for use in the Grand Cherokee. We also note that Dodge doesn’t appear to be playing up the Durango as an off-road model, either, at least where badging is concerned – instead of proclaiming the new model available with four-wheel drive, they’ve added an all-wheel drive badge (as seen above).

For now, you can see plenty of teaser images of the 2011 Durango in the gallery below, and Chrysler has even provided a slideshow of images for your viewing pleasure after the jump. Expect the full details on the new Durango to be released in the next few weeks.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Officially Official: Dodge keeps Durango nameplate for 2011 [w/video]

Officially Official: Dodge keeps Durango nameplate for 2011 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, SUV, Crossover

Finally, after years and years of stagnation and painfully slow sales, small cars are starting to take a foothold in the United States. Or are they? While conventional wisdom makes us believe that Americans are ready to take the downsizing plunge in the face of – or at least the threat of – high fuel prices and environmental concerns (we’re all still watching the Gulf Coast, right?), it seems that reality may once again set us straight.

Automotive sales watchdog Autodata has found that the gas-swilling large SUV segment is growing at a faster pace than the America’s small car segment. Like statistics? Here we go: With a 19-percent jump over the first six months of 2010, large SUV sales have outpaced small cars (14 percent). Critically, they’ve also outpaced the overall market (17 percent).

Now, before we get our feathers riled up too much, realize that sales of large SUVs still lag way behind small cars – 974,000 to 121,000 through the first half of the year. Further, large crossovers like the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex, GMC Acadia and Lincoln MKT are included in those figures right alongside traditional behemoths like the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Infiniti QX56 and Toyota Sequoia.

We also expect that small car sales will continue to climb with new models coming to market, such as the upcoming Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 and Hyundai’s Accent and Elantra. That said, there’s always going to be a demand for large and powerful SUVs that can haul people and stuff while towing a boat or camper in cool, air-conditioned comfort, and automakers will be only too happy to provide the thick-margined vehicles for their consumption. For better or for worse.

[Source: USA Today via Kicking Tires]

Report: Large SUV segment outpacing small car sales growth in America originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Toyota

Cars and trucks here in the U.S. are being invaded by more efficient four-cylinder engines. Both the 2011 Buick Regal and Hyundai Sonata, for example, feature four-pot-only lineups. Even the 4,800-pound Toyota 4Runner has an entry-level 2.7-liter four. Well, at least the off-road-ready Toyota did offer a four-banger for one model year.

Motor Trend is reporting that Toyota will discontinue the four-cylinder model from the 2011 4Runner lineup due to an anemic take rate of less than 10 percent. That’s pretty amazing given the fact that the V6 option costs nearly $4,000 more than the four-cylinder model, but the power and fuel economy stats tell the whole story. The downsized engine option only provides 157-horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. That’s down a whopping 113 ponies and 100 lb-ft compared to the optional 4.0-liter V6, while combined fuel economy is within one mile-per-gallon of the more powerful engine.

If taking away 1.3-liters and 113-horsepower only nets you a fuel economy gain of one measly mpg, we can’t blame customers for overwhelmingly opting for the far more powerful V6. And we really enjoyed our time with a 4.0-liter equipped 4Runner, too, so we’re thinking the extra money is well-spent.

Photos by Chris Shunk / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: Toyota already set to cancel four-cylinder 4Runner originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab’s top officials had a meeting earlier this week in New York that outlined its plans for the next few years. Future products include a luxury SUV and a new 9-3 sedan.
Saab also said that it will launch a fleet of 100 electric vehicles based on the 9-3. A majority of these electric vehicles will [...]

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Saab’s future lineup will include the redesigned 9-3, a new SUV and an electric vehicle

Chrysler made quite a buzz with its redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and its appears that the car is already exceeding expectations as the manufacturer is considering adding a third production shift at the Detroit plant where the SUV is built.
For those who don’t know, Chrysler already hired 1,080 workers to staff a second [...]

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Chrysler may add a third shift to face the demand for the 2011 Grand Cherokee

According to several media reports, it appears that the new Volkswagen Polo SUV will finally make its debut in 2012.
Dubbed Rockstar, the new model will be based on the Suzuki SX4, but expect it to be more expensive than the Japanese car. As you may know already, Volkswagen acquired a 19.9% stake in Suzuki, in [...]

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Volkswagen Polo SUV coming in 2012

G-Power, a German tuning firm, claims to soon offer the world’s fastest SUV, with the BMW X6 M as its base. This model already delivers 555hp but G-Power wants it to have higher output.
The tuning firm plans to launch a 900 hp SUV that be able to surpass the 205 mph (330 km/h) [...]

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G-Power X6 Typhoon RS Ultimate V10 based on the BMW X6 M

Infiniti’s North America division announced its 2011 model year lineup, which includes two new models and numerous upgrades throughout the range. Next year, the Infiniti M sedan and the QX full-size SUV will debut.
Its existing models will be receiving several enhancements, including a new 7-speed automatic transmission that replaces the 5-speed auto on [...]

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Infiniti reveals the changes made across its 2011 lineup

At last! Ford announced today that it will unveil the 2012 Explorer SUV on July 26, in New York City. “Join Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally on Monday, July 26th for the unveiling of a new Ford vehicle”, said Ford in an official statement. This means that Ford will stop the [...]

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Official: 2012 Ford Explorer SUV will be unveiled on July 26