Porsche did more than just announce an all-electric Cayenne during its Annual Press Conference as it also provided a first glimpse at the three-row SUV. Well, sort of. Codenamed "K1," the seven-seat EV was illustrated hiding under a cover while company chairman Oliver Blume was talking about what the future has in tow for the house of Zuffenhausen. It appears to have a gently sloped roofline à la Cayenne Coupe.
Positioned above the fourth-generation Cayenne coming in electric guise, the new SUV will be underpinned by the SSP Sport platform Porsche is developing. The automaker's head honcho promises "strong performance" as well as "automated driving functions." Inside the cabin, expect a "completely new experience." He went on to say it's a "new car concept" targeting profitable regions such as China and the United States. The former continues to be the brand's largest single market.
The jumbo SUV won't arrive anytime soon as Porsche is currently putting the finishing touches on the next-generation, electric-only Macan due in 2024. Roughly a year later, the 718 sports cars will also be renewed and lose the combustion engines while the zero-emission Cayenne is slated to arrive around 2026. It means the brand's largest vehicle ever won't debut sooner than 2027.
Porsche goes as far as to say "electromobility is the utmost priority" as the German brand wants more than 80 percent of annual sales to be EVs by 2030. Interestingly, the Panamera wasn't mentioned in the Annual Press Conference outside of the sales results. However, a report from Autocar speculates a next-generation electric model that would be positioned above the Taycan could use the same platform as the K1. Even if that's accurate, a Panamera EV won't arrive until near the end of the decade.
The iconic 911 will be the last Porsche to eschew the internal combustion engine. It'll happen after 2030, but a hybrid is due this decade. Rumor has it the next GT2 RS coming in 2026 will be a Turbo-based mild-hybrid monster with over 700 horsepower.
