Porsche to continue selling combustion Cayenne beyond 2030

Porsche will continue to offer the Cayenne with combustion and hybrid power beyond 2030, which means the SUV – its most popular model – will enter the next decade offering three separate powertrains.

The brand today confirmed it will develop and “further upgrade” the current third-generation Cayenne, which received an extensive mid-life upgrade last year, and sell it well into the next decade alongside the electric, technically unrelated, fourth-generation version that will arrive next year.

These upgrades will focus on making the SUV’s 4.0-litre V8 powertrain, used in the 468bhp Cayenne S, 650bhp GT and 729bhp Turbo E-Hybrid PHEV range topper, as efficient as possible.

“Extensive technical measures will ensure that the twin-turbo engine is ready to comply with future legislative requirements,” Porsche said in a statement. 

The brand did not confirm if it would continue to upgrade the current generation’s 3.0-litre V6, offered in the 351bhp pure guise or in the 464bhp E-Hybrid and 512bhp S E-Hybrid PHEVs. 

Of course, any future sales will also depend on individual market compliance. For example, the UK will ban the sale of new pure-petrol and pure-diesel cars from 2030.

Announcing the decision today, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said: “The Cayenne has always defined the sports car in its segment. In the middle of the decade, the fourth generation will set standards in the segment as an electric SUV.

“At the same time, into the next decade our customers will still be able to choose from a wide range of powerful and efficient combustion and hybrid models.”

The decision comes just days after the German brand watered down its EV target (80% of total sales by 2030), citing a sliding buyer appetite for electric cars. This echoed similar views voiced by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Stellantis.

The wavering electric uptake – European EV sales rose just 2% in the first half of 2024, compared with 28% last year – is likely to have spooked Porsche bosses into extending the life of its most popular model’s combustion variants, fearing a substantial sales drop if the electric Cayenne did not resonate with buyers, although the company has not said as such.

For reference, of Porsche’s 320,221 global sales last year, 87,553 were Cayennes, followed very closely by the Macan (87,355).

Given the popularity of the combustion Macan, it is not known if Porsche will do similar with its small SUV, which, it has already confirmed, is set to go electric-only in 2025. The electric Macan was launched last week priced from £67,200 and offers a top-end range of 398 miles.