► Porsche officially confirms Cayenne EV for 2025
► Fourth-gen will go electric only, using PPE platform
► Current hybrid and combustion model will continue alongside it
In ‘what on earth is going on’ news, Porsche has decided to take its new electric Cayenne up the Shelsley Walsh hill climb to test its ‘performance and practicality.’
In fact, it had actually done the hill climb in June 2025, but has only officially acknowledged it did so now. A wrapped-up version of the EV Cayenne sprinted up the hill during one event, driven by Gabriela Jílková – a Formula E development driver – lopped four-seconds off the record for an SUV going up the hill with a 31.28sec run.
Porsche has also confirmed that the new Cayenne will be available with the brand’s Active Ride system, which is also available on the Panamera and Taycan.
What else do we know about the electric Cayenne?
Spy pictures also show not one – but two – versions of the electric Cayenne. On the left, a prototype with 911 GTS-style air intakes and a front spoiler that juts out. On the right, a more sedate version of Porsche’s electric SUV, with a more conventional front end. What’s more, the more aggressive car has extra air outlets at the rear – whereas the ‘standard car’ does not.
Is it a hybrid version, or simply a hotter EV version? Based on previous reports, we’d suggest the latter.
Particularly interesting is the brand’s strategy for the Cayenne. First of all, the new fourth-gen Cayenne will be electric only, as Porsche confirms it will run on the VW Group Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. This platform is also the one that underpins the electric Macan, as well as Audi’s Q6 e-Tron and upcoming A6 e-Tron.
The PPE platform, according to Porsche, will undergo ‘a comprehensive further development’ for the new Cayenne EV. It will still be an 800-volt architecture for quick charging, and those ‘comprehensive’ future upgrades could improve battery capacity or performance over the cars we’ve currently seen launch on the platform.
But the current Cayenne, the third-generation, will live on. Porsche has confirmed that it ‘will be further upgraded and will continue to be offered alongside the fourth, all-electric generation,’ providing powertrain alternatives including a revised version of its V8. ‘Extensive technical measures will ensure that the twin-turbo engine is ready to comply with future legislative requirements,’ says Porsche. Plug-in hybrid versions will continue, too.
This is seemingly another example of car makers lifting off the throttle a little when it comes to electrification. Slowing demand and slightly more relaxed emissions rules in certain markets has prompted some manufacturers to have a bit of a rethink, with Audi already making plans to offer combustion cars for longer than originally planned.
While Porsche says it is ‘fully committed to electromobility,’ Oliver Blume – Porsche AG CEO – qualifies that point: ‘Our product strategy could enable us to deliver more than 80 per cent of our new cars fully electrified in 2030 – depending on the demand of our customers and the development of electromobility in the regions of the world.’
The new, fourth-gen and all-electric Cayenne will launch in 2025 alongside a growing range of SUVs for the performance brand.