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Porsche has definitely been testing diesel-powered versions of the Cayenne SUV as evidenced by the recent spy shots of on filling up from a diesel pump in northern Sweden. However, that doesn't mean the Stuttgart-based high performance manufacturer has definitively decided to actually produce such a beast. Klaus Berning, Porsche's head of sales and marketing has said that a diesel Cayenne won't come to market unless it can be a sales success in the U.S. market. So far, there have only been a handful of light duty diesels available and none at all in some of the biggest markets like California. Later this year a flood of new clean diesels will start hitting the market in all fifty states including the new VW Jetta TDI, a trio of Mercedes SUVs and the BMW X5 and 335d. Early next year, the Cayennes cousins - the VW Touareg and Audi Q7 - will join the party with a 3.0L V-6 TDI. Porsche will be closely watching the U.S. market acceptance of all these new models and if American drivers take to them in significant numbers, Porsche will move forward. Since the U.S. is the largest market for the Cayenne, if diesel sales are lackluster, Porsche will likely just hold off until the hybrid is ready for market. If the Q7 TDI I drove for the last few days is any indication, torque loving Americans will snap them up.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]