Tuning house Hamann doesn’t do subtle. What it does do is take premium sports cars and SUVs and turn them into exclusive, and some times, over-the-top creations. One such example is the Guardian Evo that will debut at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show. The name may not be giving any clues, but nonetheless, the latest proposal of the German tuning firm is based on the second generation of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. The Guardian Evo is fitted with a body kit that comprises a significantly extended front bumper with larger air intakes, integrated daytime running lights plus LED fog- and full-beam lights. It also stands out thanks to its carbon bonnet, which apart from being very light, has a “power dome” to enhance the engine’s ventilation. The wheel arches of the Cayenne have been widened by 120mm at the front and 160mm at the rear, while the styling package is rounded off with a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and twin steel exhaust pipes plus 23-inch alloy wheels with 315/25 Dunlop Sport Maxx tires. The interior also gets the full Hamann treatment with embroidered and stitched leather among other things. Finally, thanks to a retuned engine map, a sports air filter and a custom exhaust, maximum power has increased from the Cayenne Turbo’s 500PS to 550PS, while torque stands at 770Nm at 2,300-4,600 rpm, compared to the standard version’s 700Nm at 2,250-4,500 rpm. The Guardian Evo is 0.1 seconds faster in the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint at 4.6 seconds compared to the factory model's 4.7 seconds, while its top speed has been increased to 300 km/h (187mph), up from 278 km/h (173mph). PHOTO GALLERY
When you have the world's largest per capita production and proven reserves of both oil and natural gas, you can afford a little luxury for your police officers. Case in point, Qatar's police fleet of Porsche Cayenne and Panamera cruisers, which along with several Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs, came together to celebrate the Arab state's National Day parade on December 18. A video waits to satisfy your curiosity just after the break.
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When a couple is married, they vow to love and cherish each other for richer or poorer, in good or bad times. Buying a car, especially an expensive one like a Porsche Cayenne, is kind like a marriage, in the sense that you get to live with it every day – except that you can have more than one and it doesn't talk back to you… When things go bad, however, it’s not just couples that get a divorce: the ongoing financial crisis that has plagued Northern European countries is forcing owners to depart with their beloved vehicles because they simply can’t afford their expenses anymore. Greece, Italy and Spain are the countries hit the hardest so far by the crisis, and as a result, their economies are crumpling and many citizens find themselves unemployed or struggling to hold on to their jobs. In this economic climate, owning an expensive car is, like a Porsche Cayenne, is indeed, a luxury. You see, while the SUV saved Porsche from bankruptcy, it’s now threatening to do the opposite to many of its owners. Take Roberto Murga from Barcelona, for example. “I can’t splurge anymore, and maintaining my precious Cayenne is just too expensive”, Murga told Business Week. Before the crisis, his monthly income was around €8,000. When the real estate bubble burst, he had no choice but to fire half of his employees, as he admits, “we have no profit at all, we just try to survive”. With Spain’s unemployment rate reaching an shocking 22.8 percent, things getting worse every day and no light at the end of the tunnel, the Spaniards are having a hard time indeed. As in Greece, in Spain, the Cayenne was seen as a status symbol – an outright statement to onlookers that you have really made it. Today’s dire financial situation has been labeled “the Cayenne crisis” by Victor Conde, a marketing professor at Madrid’s Universidad Nebrija. “This car was the paradigm of how we lived above what we could afford”, he says. “Banks were giving away too many loans and everybody here was driving a Cayenne.” Now the luxury SUV sales in Spain and Portugal have fallen 34 percent compared to 2007, their best-ever year. Porsche is not the only one affected; BMW sales are almost halved, being reduced by 47 percent. Car dealers are experiencing a sharp decline in their revenue. “The Cayenne was the favorite car for many people, especially in the construction industry”, said Madrid-based Arguelles Automoviles sales manager Angel Rodriguez. “Later many found out they couldn’t afford it, or even pay for it at all, and I see them now driving a Renault”, he added. Even mass-market manufacturers are feeling the strain. Ford has already announced that it will temporarily suspend 4,000 workers at its Valencia plant and even Seat is considering moving production to more cost-efficient facilities owned by the VW Group, in countries like China. Economics professor Ricardo Mateo says that, without reforms, the Spanish auto industry is doomed: “Labor costs and taxes in Spain are high, unions very strong, and the industry needs to remain competitive as cars are now also produced in China, Korea, India and South Africa.”
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