If you are concerned that you’re running out of time to buy a petrol-powered Cayenne because of the shift to electric propulsion – you don’t need to worry just yet.
Because according to Porsche executives, the large SUV that helped reinvigorate the iconic brand will stick around in internal combustion engine (ICE) form for a while yet.
Questions over the future of the ICE Cayenne kicked off when Porsche announced in March this year that it was working on a new all-electric version of the Cayenne.
But now more details have emerged of the expected timing and rollout of the new EV, as well as the future of the ICE version.
Speaking with CarsGuide at the launch of the new Cayenne in Austria earlier this month, Product Manager for the Porsche Cayenne, Pascal Ackermann, said that the current third-generation Cayenne would continue on in ICE petrol guise until “around about” the end of the decade.
The new all-electric Cayenne will hit showrooms in 2026 according to Porsche, and it will be sold alongside the ICE version.
The Cayenne just underwent its first major update since it went on sale in third-gen guise in 2018. By the time the ICE Cayenne is discontinued around 2030, it will be at least a decade old.
Interestingly the new Cayenne battery electric vehicle (BEV) will be based on a different platform, and have a completely different body and design to that of the ICE version, although the styling is yet to be revealed.
Increasingly strict European emissions regulations prompted Porsche to increase its EV output, which will also include an electric Macan from 2024, next-generation electric versions of the 718 Boxster and Cayman twins, and a new upper-large three-row SUV that will sit above Cayenne in the line-up – but more on that in a bit.
According to Ackermann, Cayenne sales will be determined by the emissions regulations and incentives of each market, with some regions favouring the EV.
“Especially in Europe, in CO2-sensitive markets, we will see a huge amount of sales for the BEV model. But we’re still offering both for those customers who are not really sure about whether to switch or not,” he said.
“But we still have markets where ICE is no problem. There are no big regulation issues. Customer demand for it is high. So we will see the ICE variants, maybe in other markets, more than the BEV.”
Porsche has set a target of 80 per cent of all sales to be electrified – meaning EV, PHEV, etc – by 2030.
One model likely to assist that is the as-yet unnamed new upper-large SUV that is expected to debut in 2027 – a year after the electric Cayenne.
CEO of Porsche AG, Oliver Blume, made the announcement about the new SUV model at the company’s annual press conference in March, adding, “we are going to expand our product portfolio at the top end, introducing a new all-electric SUV. In doing so, we will underline and strengthen our position in the luxury car segment.”
It is believed the new model – codenamed K1 – will be designed to appeal to American and Chinese buyers.
The new model will be built using Volkswagen Group’s new SSP platform that will start to underpin vehicles from 2026 and will eventually replace both the MEB and PPE platforms. It is also expected to have more automated driving functions than current models.
Keyword: When is the new Porsche Cayenne electric car coming? Timing confirmed for new BMW iX, Kia EV6 rival, and more details on new larger electric SUV revealed!