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 Published: Sep 29, 07 Views: 4,666 Porsche has really been making an effort to win over potential customers. The luxury sports car manufacturer wants to appeal to the green crowd by producing more environmentally friendly vehicles, and in Canada, has marked vehicles down significantly. In acknowledgment of the Canadian dollar, Porsche dropped their prices by 10%. They realized a lot of Canadian customers were going to the U.S. to buy their cars. Porsche acknowledges there is still a price differential, but it’s a lot closer now which they hope will sway customers from going across the boarder to buy. Will other car manufacturers follow suit? Speaking of keeping up with the competition, Porsche also realized the need to go green. As fuel economy regulations get stricter in North America and Europe, and an increased awareness of global warming sweeps over the world, car companies are struggling to meet these demands. That’s a little tough for Porsche whose sports cars are near impossible to make eco-friendly. It’s rumoured that Porsche is planning on adding a hybrid Cayenne SUV in a few years as well as a hybrid version of the Panamera sportscar, a model which has yet to be released. “The Cayenne Hybrid is expected to get 25 percent better fuel economy than the non-hybrid,” CNNMoney reports. “It’s also expected to be able to cruise under electric power alone at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.” The four-seater Panamera sportscar will make its debut at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, but some images have been leaked, including the embedded video.  An SUV, like the Cayenne, is already a heavy vehicle where weight balance isn't critical. But for sports car buyers, especially those who can afford a Porsche, balance and weight are key criteria because they affect handling. A sports car couldn't easily accommodate the bulk of a hybrid power train without being turned into a car that is merely fast.
(money.cnn)References: money.cnn Filed In: |
