It's the end of an era, Porsche are finally installing a diesel engine into one of their cars, and sadly it seems to be down to pressures to be a more fuel efficient manufacturer.
Porsche has confirmed that a diesel Cayenne will be available in March 2009, and the test mule has already been spotted. Despite not carrying any diesel badging the Cayenne was seen filling up at a diesel pump and those that spotted the car mentioned an unmistakable diesel sound coming from the new look tailpipes.
According to The Detroit News, the current Porsche range fuel economy of 20 mpg would cost the manufacturer more than $736 million in fines by 2016, and this was a leading factor in the decision to go diesel.
Having such a close connection with Volkswagen means they can choose from some great diesel engines, but rather than going for the V10 or V8 units, Porsche has chosen the 240 bhp 3.0 V6 TDI to power the Cayenne in an effort to keep weight to a minimum.
Rumours of a 997 TDI RS are, as yet, unfounded.