The Porsche Cayenne name will be branded on at SUVs with at least three different powertrain setups by 2030, the German automaker confirmed today, along with the delivery of photos of camouflaged Cayenne prototypes already out testing. Here’s what to expect from the future of the sporty midsize luxury SUV, including an all-electric Cayenne for its fourth generation.
Fully Electric Porsche Cayenne Confirmed for Next-Gen SUV
The fourth generation of Porsche’s biggest luxury SUV (for now) will go fully electric on the same platform as the recently-introduced Macan Electric SUV that rides on the automaker’s PPE platform setup. Porsche CEO Blume claims: “The Cayenne has always defined the sports car in its segment. In the middle of the decade, the fourth generation will set standards in the segment as an electric SUV.” This next-gen Cayenne EV will not be the codenamed “K1” large three-row electric SUV that’s been confirmed by the automaker to ride on an all-new platform.
From what we can tell with these camouflaged prototype images, the new Cayenne EV will sport the quad-motif upper headlights above the nose coupled with lower full-beam headlights tucked away in the fascia. There’s also a large rectangular air opening with what appears to be both open and closed shutters in the images, with a large camera or sensor housed in the center of the front bumper. Out back, there’s a cool new grid structure with a large clear element to the taillights, with a chunky rear bumper attachment that we don’t think is production spec. There’s also clearly roof rails likely for cargo attachments.
Gas Porsche Cayenne Not Going Anywhere Soon
To further muddy things, and to clear up the three Cayenne powertrains mentioned before, today’s gas- and hybrid-powered third-gen Cayenne models will continue to get tweaks and updates for a few model years beyond 2030, alongside the all-new electric fourth-gen Cayenne on a different platform; they will just share a name and similar exterior designs. That’s a longer run of gas-electric overlap than Porsche is allowing for the smaller Macans, which will drop their gas-powered iterations entirely by 2025, leaving only today’s Macan Electric variants (which, we figure, will drop the “Electric” in their names once there is no longer such a distinction to make). Porsche also confirmed V-8 Cayenne trims are here to stay for many years to come; the release claims that “extensive technical measures will ensure that the twin-turbo engine is ready to comply with future legislative requirements.”
Electric Porsche Cayenne PPE Chassis
The upcoming fourth-gen Porsche Cayenne Electric SUV should be expected around 2027, if not the latest by 2030. It will probably borrow plenty from the recently-introduced Macan Electric SUV that similarly is now on sale alongside the “old” previous-gen gas models (again, for only another year or so). The Macan EV’s PPE setup features a 12-module, 100-kWh battery pack capable of feeding front and rear electric drive motors for all-wheel drive. Macan Electric SUV trims range from between 335 to 630 horsepower and 415 to 833 lb-ft of torque with a electric drive range of 310 miles on the most conservative models. All U.S. Macan EVs get adjustable air suspension setups, as well, which we should expect on the more luxurious Cayenne EV as well, whenever it arrives by the end of decade.