Porsche reveals plans for all-electric Cayenne, global debut likely by 2026
Within the scope of its sustainability strategy, Porsche is working towards a net carbon neutral value chain for its vehicles in 2030.
Porsche, as an automotive brand, is synonymous with building some of the most exotic luxury sports cars. The carmaker is known for putting performance as the priority in each of its creations. With changing landscapes in the automotive world, Porsche is preparing itself for some major transformations in the coming future.
In its recent annual press conference, the German marque revealed plans for its future products, which would be centred around its ambitious electrification strategy. The company intends to achieve 80% of its total sales from all-electric models by 2030.
Porsche executives: Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board (L) and Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman (R)
New EVs in development
As part of its ambitious electrification strategy, Porsche has announced plans for its upcoming range of electric vehicles (EV). The first product to be launched under this strategy would be the all-electric Macan, scheduled to make its debut in 2024. This will be followed by the all-electric 718, which is expected to hit the roads in 2025.
The company also mentioned that, in the medium future, the 718 range will be available as fully electric models only. The biggest announcement at the press conference was the introduction of an all-electric Cayenne. The brand’s current flagship SUV will transform from an fossil-fueled vehicle into a battery-powered EV by 2026.
Porsche's electrification strategy
Porsche also revealed that the upcoming fourth-generation Cayenne will be based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture that currently underpins the Macan EV. Although details of this SUV are under wraps as of now, we expect the Cayenne EV to feature a larger battery pack than the 100 kWh unit offered in the all-electric Macan.
Speaking at the annual conference, Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board, shared Porsche’s plans of developing a larger electric SUV that will be slotted above the upcoming Cayenne EV in the company’s lineup. Based on the new SSP Sport platform, this new all-electric flagship vehicle “will be designed to offer strong performance and automated driving functions with the typical Porsche fly line”.
Hybrid Cayenne on cards
Moreover, the current third-generation model of Cayenne would have witnessed massive transformations by the time its all-electric sibling makes its debut. In 2023, Cayenne is expected to undergo comprehensive upgrades, including the launch of three new plug-in hybrid variants of the SUV with greater ranges.
Updated Porsche Cayenne plug-in hybrid to launch in 2023
The updated plug-in hybrid Cayenne will be underpinned by a new chassis that will offer a wider breadth of abilities, balancing on-road performance, long-distance comfort, and off-road capability.
SUV, the preferred segment
From the latest announcements, it is clear that Porsche is focussing on expanding its range of SUVs since the utilitarian body-style has been the flavour of enthusiasts. At the conference, Porsche stated that a total of 3,09,884 vehicles were sold in 2022, marking a 3% increase over the previous year. Out of this, Cayenne accounted for 95,604 units, making it the brand’s best-selling model last year.
Moreover, the German carmaker sold 86,724 units of Macan last year, which, together with the Cayenne, constitute over half of the brand's total sales. In India too, Porsche sold a total of 779 vehicles last year, of which 399 units were Cayenne.
Edited by Swetha Kannan
