Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid To Deliver V-8 Power, 26+ mpg

By Colin Mathews

Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
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Pure electric propulsion is the name of the game for cutting gas/electric hybrid fuel consumption, and Porsche claims to have taken it to a whole new level with the upcoming 2010 Cayenne S Hybrid. Capable of traveling at speeds up to 86 mph solely on electric propulsion, the 5,000-some-odd pound full-frame SUV's thirst for premium should be cut dramatically.

Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
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Economy estimated at 26 mpg or slightly greater (extrapolated from Porsche's claim of less than 9 liters/100 km fuel consumed on the European cycle) is very respectable for this behemoth, but it's a figure shamed by car-based crossover hybrids. Interesting will be the difference between city and highway mileage; typically, gas/electric hybrids attain their biggest mileage benefits in city driving where the electric motors are most helpful, but this Porsche system turns that paradigm on its head with stout electric highway capabilities.

The hybrid drive in the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid uses a parallel full hybrid design that sandwiches the electric motor between an Audi-sourced V-6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The V-6 is Audi's new 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 found in models like the 2009 Audi A6, itself surprisingly efficient considering the 333 hp and 324 lb-ft torque it yields. The electric motor will be supplied by a 154-lb. nickel metal hybrid battery that fits in the spare tire well.

Porsche promises no intrusions into cabin or cargo space, as well as a 0-60 mph sprint of just under 6.8 seconds. So drivers of heavy luxury SUVs may soon have their cake and eat it too. But aren't drivers of luxury SUVs quickly abandoning the segment? History will tell us the rest of the story, but let's not forget the miserable sales of GM's (Tahoe, Escalade) and Chrysler's (Aspen, Durango) well-engineered full-size SUV hybrids.

RIM cracks 50 million BlackBerry sales

Research in Motion today passed a symbolic barrier today by selling its 50 millionth BlackBerry device. While not tracking down the exact model, the achievement comes just a month after the 10-year anniversary of the first BlackBerries arriving from the Canadian company. The number is helped by the explosion of sales outside of North America and outside of its more familiar business market, with phones like the Curve, Pearl and Storm mostly targeting home use.

The very earliest models were considered pagers and could only handle the BlackBerry's signature "push" e-mail and basic data services, though most models from the 5000 series upwards were some of the first smartphone-class devices.

RIM nonetheless reaches the milestone with competition from rivals which have taken less time to accelerate their own sales. Although it has since regained a more definitive lead, the BlackBerry maker briefly lost to Apple during the summer as the iPhone 3G's international launch and a pre-crisis economy helped increase its numbers. The BlackBerry Storm was built with combating the iPhone in mind but has managed a relatively cool 1 million units in two months for Verizon versus Apple's 1.9 million iPhones for AT&T in three months.

Additionally, while RIM courts about 21 million current BlackBerry e-mail users, most of its known introductions for 2009 are relatively modest updates and are rumored to include HSPA-based versions of the Curve 8900 and Storm as well as CDMA versions of previously GSM-only phones like the Pearl Flip.