Porsche is working on a new high-end electric SUV, the luxury carmaker announced during its annual press conference on Monday. The yet-to-be-named EV will be the fourth in the company’s updated lineup of electric vehicles that includes an electric Macan by 2024, followed by an electric version of the 718 two-seater and a recently announced all-electric version of the Cayenne.
The electric SUV will be positioned as a high-performance model above the Cayenne and will be based on a new SSP Sport electric vehicle platform developed by Porsche. The automaker’s parent company, Volkswagen, had been developing the new SSP platform to succeed its MEB platform. But the process was plagued by software problems, causing a delay to Volkswagen’s “Project Trinity,” which was to be the platform’s debut vehicle.
Ultra luxury family transport
Reports suggest that Porsche’s new SUV will be a big seven seater, which, like the Cayenne, would appeal to those looking for an ultra-luxury family truck. Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board of Porsche, said in a keynote address that the new SUV will have a “completely new experience” inside, will have automated driving functions and its exterior will feature “the typical Porsche flight line.” . Blume is also CEO of the Volkswagen Group, having replaced Herbert Diess last year in a surprise shakeup.
Porsche has a new focus on building electric SUVs, which Blume explained is due to growing profits in the segment, particularly in the US and China. The Macan meets the compact SUV segment; The Cayenne, which already comes in hybrid options, fits into the midsize SUV category; and now, the new SUV fills the high range.
Porsche has a new focus on building electric SUVs due to growth in the segment
Porsche also announced that the two-seater 718 EV will be sold alongside the petrol model, but will then build the electric version exclusively. The automaker plans to deliver more than 80 percent of its new vehicles as fully electric by 2030.
The only all-electric vehicle from Porsche available to buy today is the Taycan sports sedan, which, like Tesla’s Model S, is starting to get a bit stale compared to the rest of the competition. Porsche’s sister company Audi arguably built a better-looking electric sedan in the Audi RS E-tron GT, which borrows from the Taycan’s EV architecture.
