(February 25, 2010) Porsche's all-new second generation Cayenne will be publicly shown for the first time next week at the Geneva Motor Show. Along with fresh, sportier styling, the Cayenne goes on a serious diet and gains powertrain updates including Porsche's first hybrid system.

Regardless of which engine is used all 2011 Cayennes get a new eight-speed automatic transmission and automatic start-stop system. This system debuted in 2009 on the Panamera sedan and eliminates emissions and fuel consumption caused by idling. The engine is shut off when the vehicle comes to a halt and automatically re-starts when the driver releases the brake pedal.

The hybrid drive system is paired with the same 333 horsepower supercharged and direct injected 3.0-liter V6 already available in the Audi S4 and S5 Cabriolet. The hybrid system was developed in conjunction with Volkswagen and unlike systems from Toyota, General Motors and Ford, is designed to be modular. This will allow it to be adapted to different vehicle platforms. In 2011, Audi will use this same system in the smaller Q5 crossover.

In the Cayenne a 34 kilowatt motor is sandwiched between the engine and transmission. A clutch is also installed between the engine and motor allowing the engine to be completely decoupled. When the battery has sufficient charge, the Cayenne can be driven on electricity alone at speeds up to 40 mph for short distances. At speeds up to 97 mph if the Cayenne is cruising, the engine can also be decoupled and shut down.

A nickel metal hydride battery pack is installed under the rear cargo floor. When the driver releases the accelerator or applies the brake, regenerative braking is used to charge the battery.

The combined output of the hybrid system is 380 horsepower and 427 pound-feet of torque which should yield comparable performance to the V8 powered Cayenne S.

The EPA fuel economy numbers for the hybrid and other Cayenne models won't be announced until closer to the time that the Cayenne goes on sale in July of this year. On the European combined driving cycle, the Cayenne hybrid is rated at 28.7 mpg (U.S.)

Even the non-hybrid models get big bumps in fuel efficiency for 2011. The 3.6-liter V6, 4.8-liter normally aspirated and turbocharged V8s are all direct injected and the V8s are now up to 400 hp and 500 hp respectively. Even with the higher output, the V6 and V8s improve by 20, 15 and 23 percent respectively compared to the 2010 equivalents.