2008 Cayenne GTS starts at $69,300

At the Chicago Auto Show this morning, Porsche announced the sport-tuned Cayenne GTS will start at $69,300. It wasn't immediately clear if that price includes Porsche's $895 destination charge.

The price represents a premium of some $11,000 over the Cayenne S, but the GTS comes standard with 21-inch wheels, Porsche's high-tech PASM suspension and the requisite bumper and side sill extensions. Add those options to the Cayenne S, and its price comes within spitting distance of the GTS.

Porsche marketing head David Pryor called the GTS "the best-handling SUV in the world" — a bold claim, but the SUV's 405-hp V-8, derived from the engine in the Cayenne S, will move it from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds. And Porsche says it's the first V-8 SUV in America to be offered with a six-speed manual transmission — something even the mighty Cayenne Turbo doesn't do. (All the same, we suspect most GTS buyers will get the optional six-speed Tiptronic auto.)

The Cayenne GTS hits dealerships as you read this. Considering the SUV makes up a third of Porsche's North American sales, it shouldn't be too hard to find one.