The Porsche Cayenne hasn't changed too much since it revolutionized the way people see Zuffenhausen-branded vehicles back in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, the third generation of the high-riding Porsche might bring an important change in the history of the SUV, namely an all-electric model.
Porsche hasn't released any info on the matter, but all the requirements for such a vehicle are present. For instance, Porsche engineers are currently working to bring the Mission E to the market, with the EV set to arrive by 2020.
Electric vehicle may still be struggling when it comes to the market share, but, as Tesla has proven with the Model X, the consumer needs to be supported in order to make the switch towards such transportation means.
We'll remind you that Porsche, along with Audi, BMW, Ford (the European arm) and Volkswagen recently announced a joint-venture aimed at building an EV charging station network on the Old Continent. Based on the CCS charging standard, the consortium promises to deliver chargers with up to 350kW of power, which is more than double compared to what Tesla's current Supercharger network offers.
The third-generation Cayenne will ride on the VW Group's second-generation MLB platform, which has already debuted on the new Q7. So far, we've only seen the Ingolstadt SUV pushing the green development to that diesel plug-in hybrid level with the 2017 Q7 e-tron TDI, so there are still plenty of efforts to be made before an all-electric powertrain could be offered.
Before we can dive deeper into such matters, we have to wait for the thrid-generation Cayenne to move from the current test mule state, which sees the SUV using the body of the current car to cover the new platform, to the pre-production prototype level.
With the new Cayenne scheduled to enter the market next year, as a 2018 model, perhaps the mid-cycle facelift of the SUV will deliver the EV derivative discussed here. Meanwhile, here's a spy video that was captured on the Nurburgring earlier this season to keep us busy.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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