Porsche’s Macan EV has been delayed until 2024 by software issues, but the firm is going to make up for the lost time by following it up with two more electric SUVs in short order.
One is the seven-seat K1 flagship expected to arrive in 2027, and the other, according to Autocar, is an electric version of the Cayenne, the model that laid the foundations for the modern Porsche brand and its success.
Porsche is currently teasing a facelifted version of the current Cayenne, but the 2026 EV will be an entirely different vehicle and based on an entirely separate architecture. That architecture is the VW Group’s PPE platform for luxury electric cars and is the same one used by the upcoming Macan EV and its Audi Q6 e-tron cousin.
Like the electric Macan, the zero-emissions Cayenne will feature 800-volt charging tech and Porsche’s clever modular batteries that effectively work like two 400-volt battery packs and so can charge more efficiently, and faster, than a straight 800-volt setup.
Related: 2024 Porsche Cayenne Teased, Hints At Significant Updates
We can expect one version of the Cayenne to feature the same 603 hp (612 PS), 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) drivetrain fitted to the launch model of the Macan EV. That should be good for zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than 4 seconds, but don’t be surprised to see far more powerful versions added that can accelerate even more quickly.
Still prefer your Cayenne to have a combustion motor? Then you’ll be pleased to hear that, in common with the Macan EV, the Cayenne EV will be sold alongside a traditional fossil-fuel-chomping gasoline-powered EV. A revised version of the current SUV, it will share very little with the EV under the skin, but as we head towards 2030, by which time Porsche hopes 80 percent of its cars will be EVs, those combustion options might be relatively scarce compared with today’s lineup.
Offering the Cayenne with electric power is a no-brainer for Porsche. The big SUV was the company’s best-selling model in 2022, notching up 95,604 sales, putting it almost 9,000 units ahead of even the Macan.
The image at the top of this page shows a facelifted version of the current ICE-powered Cayenne, not the EV version
Source: Autocar