If you’re not really to jump toward a Porsche EV, you’ll still have gas options for years to come.
There’s been a deluge of electric car news over the past several years, to the point where we’re pretty much covering it daily here and over on the TFLEV YouTube channel. Lately, though, the winds have been shifting, as automakers respond to consumer demand for gas-powered cars (and particularly hybrids) in lieu of fully electric models. That course correction doesn’t mean we’re going to see a full about-face from zero-emission options. Porsche, for its part, still plans to aggressively expand its electric lineup over the next couple years with a Macan EV, a BEV replacement for the 718 Boxster and Cayman, and yes, even an electric Cayenne. If you aren’t ready to take that plunge yet, however, Porsche announced this week that the current-generation Cayenne will continue to offer internal-combustion variants into the 2030s.
It’s a move that tracks with the company’s decision on the smaller Macan: In addition to the new EV, the current gas model will continue to be available. Porsche is going a step further by commitment to updates over the years, particularly in terms of improving the gas V8’s efficiency to meet tightening fuel economy and emissions regulation.
Even with the move to retain internal combustion models, the automaker also says it is still aiming for most of its sales — more than 80% — to be electric by the end of the decade. Like many others in recent weeks and months, however, Porsche also notes that it depends on market conditions. Specifically, the company cites “the demand of our customers and the development of electromobility in the regions of the world.” In other words, certain markets with robust EV infrastructure may hit that 80% sales mix target, while other markets will likely lean more heavily toward the status quo of internal combustion vehicles.
As far as the electric Porsche Cayenne is concerned, we should see a debut sometime in the next several months. Camouflaged examples have already been hitting the street, and Porsche notes that it will have completed “several million miles” of testing before the Cayenne EV actually goes on sale. When it does hit the market in the next couple years, it will ride on the same 800-volt Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that underpins the smaller Macan as well as Audi’s newer electric cars.
The gas-powered Cayenne just saw a major update for the 2024 model year, so that also signaled the brand’s intent to keep it running for at least a few more years. While it’s still technically the third-generation model, the latest gas Cayennes get new stying, a revised interior layout with more tech and more power across the lineup. The 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 still features prominently across the range, as well, from the Cayenne S all the way up to the Turbo E-Hybrid and GT models.
