Porsche Cayenne 955 – The Story
The Moneymaker SUV That Saved Porsche
Porsche Cayenne (1st Generation)
The Ultimate Model Guide
Porsche Cayenne (955/957) (2003 - 2010)
955 Story / 955 Timeline / 955 Model Guides / 957 Story / 957 Timeline / 957 Model Guides / Misc Data / News
The Cayenne came along at a time when the Porsche company had some real financial troubles. They had a bunch of sports cars in the lineup that weren't selling particularly well and were not mainstream focused in any way. It was the yuppy brand that built expensive sports cars. Porsche needed something mainstream and nothing was more mainstream in the early 2000s like an SUV. Welcome to the world Mr Porsche Cayenne in 2002. Make no mistake, this SUV saved the sports-car company and set it on a financial course that made it the most profitable car company in the world.
The Cayenne was not without controversy. 911 fans balked at the idea of a heavy SUV from Porsche and many predicted it would be a failure. "How could Porsche do this to us? How could Porsche launch a family SUV with the Porsche logo on it?" All of this before they learned that the Porsche Cayenne would in fact share its platform with a Volkswagen (Volkswagen Group PL71 chassis, which it shares with the VW Touareg and Audi Q7). Fast forward a few years and the first generation Cayenne became the best selling Porsche of all times and stayed that way until the end of its production.
The first generation of Cayenne is really two sub-generations. They are known as the Cayenne 955 and the Cayenne 957. The Cayenne 955 was the original launch Cayenne and sold from 2002 until 2007. Models included the base Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and Cayenne Turbo S models. While there was officially no 2007 model year Cayenne in the United States, you could find them in dealers. On the brink of the global recession in 2007, Porsche launched the 2008 Cayenne model, updated and refreshed and known at the Cayenne 957. The Cayenne 957 covers all Cayennes sold from 2008 to 2010 model years, and includes those same previous models and introduced the Cayenne GTS and the limited edition Cayenne S Transsyberia and GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 as well as the introduction of a Cayenne Diesel. The 957 was not a big update, consisting mainly of a mild facelift and some better technologies and interior design.
Porsche Cayenne (1st Generation) Basics
Type: 955 & 957 Generation & Chassis: First Generation (9PA) Chassis E1 / Manufacturer: Porsche AG / Production Years: 2002 - 2010 / Model Years: 2003 - 2010 / Body Style: 5-Door SUV / Layout: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive/ Engines: 3.2 L VR6, 3.6 L VR6, 4.5 L V8 (S), 4.5 L TT V8 (Turbo/Turbo S), 4.8 L V8 (S/GTS), 4.8 L TT V8 (Turbo/Turbo S), 3.0 L turbodiesel V6 / Transmission: 6-speed Automatic (2 versions) / Unveil of official photos: 2002 March 4 / Premiere: 2002 September 25 at Paris motor show press day / Market launch: 2002 December
Porsche Cayenne 955 Model & Details
This graphic breaks out the very first generation of Porsche Cayenne (Type) 955 in terms of timelines and how to tell all the models apart. Click on the image to see it in higher definition. The Cayenne 955 model years ran from 2002 till 2007.
Porsche Cayenne 955 (1st Generation) Model Guides
The 955 sold from 2003 until 2007 and includes the Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and Cayenne Turbo S models. The Cayenne Turbo was the top dog in the Cayenne range until the Cayenne Turbo S made an appearance in 2006. Technically there were no 2007 MY cars but they were indeed sold in 2007. Below we take in-depth to better get to know all the variants from that first batch of Cayennes.
1st Generation Porsche Cayenne (957) - The Story
The Type 957 Porsche Cayenne models came along 2008 Model Year models and sold through to 2010 Model Year. The 957 is essentially a face-lifted 955 that rides on the same chassis, and it includes some mechanical and aesthetic changes. Most importantly, the Porsche 957 also introduced the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) system. PDCC was available as an option on 2008-2010 Cayennes and features hydraulically controlled sway bars that help keep the car flat in the corners on-road and better control off-road. The models were the same, but the 957 Cayenne saw the launch of some tasty new models worth learning about.
Porsche Cayenne 957 Model & Details
This graphic breaks out the very first generation of Porsche Cayenne (Type) 957 in terms of timelines and how to tell all the models apart. Click on the image to see it in higher definition. The Cayenne 957 model years ran from 2008 till 2010.
Porsche Cayenne 957 (1st Generation) Model Guides
Look familiar? Porsche gave us all the same models for the refreshed 957 Cayenne lineup, including the amazing Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne Turbo S and the base, plus Cayenne S variants. Where things get more interesting with the refreshed Cayenne is the new models and special editions. The rare (600 sold in USA) Cayenne S Transsyberia is a limited-edition model released in 2010 to commemorate Porsche's participation in the 2007 Transsyberia rally. It got the Cayenne GTS V8 with off-road accessories and a cool paint job. The sporty and more driver focused Cayenne GTS was introduced during the 957 years, with its tweaked suspension tuning, naturally aspirated V8 and design tweaks, it was the pick of the first generation Cayennes. Read on to learn about all the models.
1st Generation Porsche Cayenne (955 & 957) Data, Options, Brochures & More Research
We dig into some of the data surrounding the first generation Porsche Cayenne, including production numbers, specifications, chassis numbers and much more.
More Porsche Cayenne News & Updates
Recent news, awesome reviews, new model announcements and all the other latest news and posts regarding the Porsche Cayenne.
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