New Porsche Twin-Turbo 4.0 V8 revealed with 542bhp – and 600bhp+ to come

A new 4.0 litre twin-turbo Porsche V8 engine with 542bhp has been revealed to power the next generation Cayenne and Panamera Turbo.

It’s been known for some time that Porsche is developing a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 engine with Audi to plant under the bonnet of the next generation Cayenne and Panamera Turbo, but now it’s official.

The new V8 engine will replace the current 4.8 litre V8 Porsche currently uses in the Turbo versions of the Cayenne and Panamera, and it will also find a home in Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini models.

Based on the 3.0 litre V6 found in the latest Audi S4, the new V8 has a square bore and stroke of 86mm which delivers 3996cc, a perfect volume to creep in under 4.0 litre taxation threshold in various countries (most notably China), and promises more power and more torque – 542bhp and 567lb/ft – than the current 4.8 litre V8 Turbo.

To help economy, the new V8 features cylinder deactivation under light loads between 950-3500rpm, and it is also capable of being part of a hybrid drivetrain, which would be an interesting engine to mate to electric motors for stunning performance with low official economy.

Apart from its deployment in the Cayenne and Panamera, the new V8 will also find its way in to a range of Audi, under the bonnet of the new Lamborghini Urus SUV and powering Bentley’s Continental GT and Bentayga ranges.

But although Porsche has declared the new V8 is good for 542bhp, it’s all but certain it will be good for at least 600bhp when it finds its way in to Porsche’s Turbo S models.