The Porsche Cayenne SUV range will be expanded in 2026 with an electric model to be sold alongside petrol and hybrid variants.
German sports-car maker Porsche has confirmed overnight it will introduce an electric version of its Cayenne SUV within three years.
The announcement – made in a financial press conference confirming a record 309,884 sales and a profit of €6.7 billion ($AU10.88 billion) last year – is the first time Porsche has officially recognised plans to provide its best-selling model with a solely electric option alongside petrol and plug-in hybrid options already available in showrooms today.
In an update on its electrification strategy, Porsche revealed the upcoming electric Macan SUV and electric Boxster and Cayman ‘718’ series “will be followed by the electric Cayenne” – and added “the fourth-generation of the SUV will underline Porsche’s goal of delivering more than 80 per cent of its new vehicles as electric models in 2030.”
No timing for the introduction of Porsche’s fourth electric model has been announced, however Drive sources in Stuttgart suggest it is being earmarked for launch in 2026, with Australian sales expected in 2027.
As with the electric Macan – which Porsche says “has reached the home straight and will be available to customers in 2024” – the electric Cayenne is planned to be sold alongside petrol engine and plug-in hybrid Cayenne models.
In a further update to its electric vehicle plans, Porsche said the fourth-generation Boxster and Cayman ‘718’ series – planned for launch “in the middle of the decade” – will initially be offered with electric power only.
“In the medium term it will only be available as an electric model,” Porsche said in a media statement.
Porsche also provided further details regarding its new flagship electric model the K1 – its internal codename – confirming it will be “positioned above the Cayenne”.
Conceived as a rival to the likes of the BMW iX, Porsche says the K1 is based on the SSP Sport platform being developed by Porsche: “It is designed to offer strong performance and automated driving functions with the typical Porsche ‘flyline’, along with a completely new experience inside the vehicle.”
The reference to the “typical Porsche flyline” suggests the K1 will receive a coupe-like profile similar to that of the 911.
Speaking about the new model, tentatively due for introduction in 2028, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told media: “We are underlining and strengthening our sporty luxury positioning. We are observing growing profit pools in this segment, in particular in China and the US“.
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