Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche Donate €2.5 Million for Japan Earthquake Relief

Volkswagen and Audi today announced that they will donate €1 million ($1.42 million) each for humanitarian aid to the Japanese people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Asian nation on March 11. Porsche also said it will offer €500,000 ($707,000) to assist people affected by the natural disaster. Aside from these contributions, the VW Group has announced the launch of a donation campaign among its employees.

The VW and Audi donations will be sent via organizations such as the German Red Cross.

"This week, we will be calling on the workforce to contribute to a major donation campaign. Preparations are already well underway. The strong feeling of solidarity demonstrated by our colleagues is overwhelming. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Japan who have experienced such indescribable suffering," said Bernd Osterloh, president of the VW Group works council.

The Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche donations come after those of most major car manufacturers, from Japan and the rest of the world. The first to donate were Japanese giants Toyota, Nissan and Honda, with $3.75 million each, followed by several other automakers including, but not limited to, BMW (€1 million), Hyundai-Kia ($1.3 million), Renault (€0.5 million), Mercedes-Benz (€2 million) and Fiat Group (€100,000).

By Dan Mihalascu

Report: Porsche Cajun said to Launch in a 3-Door Body Style First, will be Based on the Audi Q5

*The above photo is a rendering from a Teamspeed forum member

New details on Porsche's junior SUV have emerged a day after the company confirmed the Leipzig plant as the production site for the new car. German car magazine AutoBild reported that Porsche will launch the compact SUV in a three-door body style adding that the Cajun will have a sporty character to differentiate it from the Audi Q5.

Porsche originally intended to launch the Cajun as a five-door model, but later decided it would be better to start off with a three-door variant since it doesn't want to affect the sales of the Q5, upon which the Cajun is based.

The Stuttgart automaker also feared that a five-door Cajun might threaten the Cayenne as well, so the company is said to have decided to give its smaller SUV a much more dynamic appearance. However, Porsche did not exclude a five-door version in the near future.

In order to hide the family relationship with the Audi Q5, the Cajun will have unique body panels and a coupe-like profile, wider and lower body, shorter wheelbase and smaller front/rear overhangs. According to AutoBild, the Porsche will offer room for four passengers.

On the technical side however, the Cajun will be similar with the Audi Q5, sharing components such as steering, transmission, axles and the four-wheel-drive system. The suspension, braking and dynamic control systems will be developed by Porsche, in order to give the car a much sportier handling.

The Cajun is rumored to be offered with four units at launch including a 2.0-liter turbo petrol with 240HP, a 3.0-liter turbo petrol V6 with 290HP, a 2.0-liter diesel with 190HP and a 3.0-liter diesel V6 with 265HP.

Porsche will later release performance upgrades for the diesels - with 204 and 300 ponies respectively – while the gasoline V6 unit could spawn a 350HP version. Further plans include a hybrid model, which will be technically identical to the Audi Q5 Hybrid. The Cajun is expected to be launched in late 2012 or early 2013.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: Autobild , Renderings: Teamspeed forum member Wildspeed

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