Porsche was caught testing a new all-electric SUV early Tuesday, with multiple spies reaching out to offer us early samples of a new model clearly intended to slot in above the Macan EV. Just how far above is a matter of some debate, our spies and other outlets are suggesting that this is the new three-row Porsche K1 — but from eyeballing it, we’re more inclined to believe this is an electrified two-row. Cayenne EV, is that you?
The EV part is pretty much a lock; we have earwitness accounts from our spies attesting to the prototype’s silence. Plus, one look at the nose will tell you all you need to know. If this car has an internal combustion engine, it can really hold its breath. As to which EV is lurking beneath the camo, well, that’s where things get a little weird. Our doubts stem mostly from the visible space behind the back door — or more accurately, the lack thereof.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the prototype to the current 2024 Porsche Cayenne. Take a look at where the door meets the rear wheel arch. If this were a three-row SUV, we’d expect that point to be farther forward (or for the two not to meet at all, if there’s a significant stretch). If there is a third row lurking back there, as West Coast Editor James Riswick so succinctly put it, humans would likely be unhappy to inhabit it.
Note also that Porsche appears to have paid close attention to the camo for the rear window on this prototype. The “chrome” around that portion of the greenhouse was added deliberately, and there’s clearly something else entirely going on underneath that vinyl. From this vantage point, we can see less of a wagon profile and more of the Cayenne’s stubby rear end, especially when we see how much of the definition in its rear profile comes from the contrast of the Cayenne’s paint finish to the black aero cladding under its rear spoiler. The black camo integrates nicely with this.
We don’t know much about the Cayenne EV apart from the fact that Porsche says it’s coming (as confirmed in the same story linked above in which Porsche acknowledged the K1). Like its smaller four-door cousin, the Panamera, its all-electric and hybridized variants will likely coexist under the same nameplate for a time; from this point forward, don’t expect any more Taycans or K1s unless Porsche is expanding into a space one of its existing vehicles doesn’t already serve.