Article content It seems yet another automaker could be rethinking plans to shuffle internal-combustion out the door. Reports from across the pond suggest Porsche may build and market electric and V8-powered variants of the Cayenne sport-utility , instead of just an electron-eater, when the next-gen full-EV-only version of the SUV bows in the next few years. Fans of the brand know a fourth-generation Cayenne is well into the development and testing stage, set to ride on a stretched version of the Macan EV’s modular Premium Platform Electric (PPE) structure.
It is expected to borrow some styling cues from that model as well, including the quad-type headlight peepers and a rear light bar stretching from corner to corner. Given expected outputs for the Macan trims (between 335 and 630 horsepower) it isn’t a stretch to think the 2026(?) Cayenne EV will pack more than 700 horses in its stoutest configuration. Learn more about the cars Still, raw horsepower numbers from silent electric motors do not set every heart thumping, a reality important to recognize when one’s customers are willing to drop major bank on a new car.
That’s why Porsche will apparently keep the gasoline-powered and plug-in hybrid versions of the current Cayenne around for a few years after introducing the EV. In a statement, the company said “Extensive technical measures will ensure that the twin-turbo [V8] engine is ready to comply with future legislative requirements. Up to and beyond 2030, the successful SUV will be offered with three powertrain variants worldwide.
” While such a plan likely carries more than a few costs, it is prescient with a precedent . Numerous automakers, from mass-market brands like Ram to luxury marques such as Porsche itself, have sold, or have planned to sell, two different variants or generations of a model at the same time. Ram’s dalliance into the “new” and “Classic” half-ton trucks is well-documented , for example, while the P brand plans to hawk the next-gen Macan EV starting this year while keeping the departing gasser around until 2026 in some markets.
With that knowledge, it’s not so surprising Porsche will apparently do something similar with the big-profit Cayenne — especially if the moneyed one-per-centers who like obnoxious exhaust notes continue a desire to write big cheques. Oh, and if you’re worried about the current-gen Cayenne getting stale, style-wise, between now and the end of the decade, fret not — the automaker’s confirmed the dinosaur-juice-burning dinosaur will see a facelift later in the 2020s. Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram , Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.
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