An intriguing staff shuffle at Porsche has insiders suggesting that the Cayenne is set to go fully electric.
Speaking to Autoweek, unnamed insiders said that Stefan Weckbach is moving over to run the Cayenne development project. That’s noteworthy because Weckbach led the Taycan project and will be replacing Manfred Harrer, who left the company for a job with Apple.
“The only thing that could mean is that the Cayenne will eventually become an EV, too,” a source told the publication. Although the report is still sketchy, Porsche has been suggesting that the Cayenne could go electric since 2019.
“This decision is not made yet. But of course, [we’re discussing] the future of almost every model, because many markets are asking for electric cars”, a spokesperson told AutoExpress at the time.
An electric Cayenne certainly wouldn’t be the first electric Porsche based on an existing model. The Macan is set to go electric in 2022 and will be based on the new PPE platform that the automaker co-developed with Audi. The combustion Macan will continue to be sold alongside it.
Read: New Audi Q6 e-tron Will Be Your More Affordable Alternative To Porsche’s Electric Macan
The brand is also expected to make hybrid and electric versions of the 718 Cayman and Boxster and an electric Panamera has been suggested.
Porsche has committed to electrifying 80% of its lineup by 2030. With millions of dollars being poured into the development of an electric platform and more still being spent on designing better batteries, it’s clear that Porsche is committed to making electric vehicles.
An electric Cayenne would certainly help pay for that investment while the popularity of electric SUVs speaks for itself.
The current third-generation Cayenne debuted in 2018, so a new generation isn’t likely to arrive for some time. If Porsche has decided to build an electric Cayenne, it will be interesting to see if they wait for the generational changeover to introduce it.
