Porsche is still working on the long-awaited Cayenne Electric, which, as its name suggests, will be the 100% electric version of the German firm’s best-seller and iconic SUV. But while it is still ‘camouflaged’ and far from being launched on our roads, it has already had the luxury of demonstrating its power in a race!
The German manufacturer, whose move to electric vehicles has been acclaimed, particularly thanks to the highly successful Taycan, is planning to make a big splash with the 100% electric version of the SUV that saved the company’s best-seller, the aptly named Cayenne Electric. And with a highly-anticipated model comes exceptional teasing. Whatever the field, Porsche never does things by halves, and the same applies to the demonstrations of the Cayenne Electric, which made its first official laps of the track, still in its camouflage livery, at Shelsley Walsh. In the heart of Worcestershire, this is a hill climb of just under a kilometre, with gradients of up to 16.7%.
Rough and technical, it’s an unforgiving course. Not that it scared Gabriela Jílková, development driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, who set a time of 31.28 seconds on her first attempt, four seconds slower than the previous SUV category record. Terrifying. Even better, it reached the first checkpoint 18.3 metres away in 1.94 seconds, a time equivalent to that of some single-seaters. All this on summer tyres. To give you an idea, that’s like beating Usain Bolt over 100 metres wearing Converse.
A new chassis for the Porsche Cayenne Electric
According to Porsche, the number one asset of the Cayenne Electric is the Porsche Active Ride chassis adjustment system, a combination of an active suspension system and a completely redesigned chassis. It enables the car’s height and stability to be adjusted in real time. This can come in very handy during heavy braking, hard acceleration and sharp bends. All of which are particularly common at… Shelsley Walsh!
Driver Gabriela Jílková is the one who said it best: » The demanding course doesn’t allow for any mistakes. There’s no room for manoeuvre, so there’s very little room to manoeuvre. But the active chassis tuning gives the new Cayenne remarkable stability and unrivalled precision. It’s a car that allows you to pull out all the stops. A system that will not only be used on this camouflaged prototype, but will also be found on the production model.
But the Cayenne is an SUV and, as such, it has to be utilitarian (the ‘U’ in SUV). Richard Hammond, well known to fans of Top Gear, had the chance to drive the Porsche Cayenne Electric for a preview shoot. The subject? The transport of a classic vehicle weighing over two tonnes by… the Cayenne itself! This was an opportunity for Porsche to point out that its electric Cayenne will be capable of towing up to 3.5 tonnes!
Electric performances and gala outfits
While the Cayenne will continue to be offered in hybrid and combustion versions – at least until 2035 and the ban on the sale of new combustion-powered vehicles in the European Union? – Porsche claims that the electric version will achieve a level of performance never before seen in the range. And the man in charge of the Cayenne range himself, Michael Schätzle, tells us: » We can only achieve the level of performance publicly demonstrated for the first time in the UK by fully exploiting the potential of electrification. The Cayenne Electric will set new standards in its segment, without compromising on comfort or practicality.
And this is just the beginning. After making its mark at Shelsley Walsh, the Cayenne Electric is set to make another public appearance at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, from 10 to 13 July. The event promises to be a new media springboard for Porsche’s future flagship SUV, ahead of its official presentation expected in 2026.
Little or nothing is known about the Cayenne Electric, but with more than a year to go before its official launch, it is already making its mark. Highly anticipated, it promises to be one of the most complete electric SUVs on the market, honouring both the ‘S’ and the ‘U’ of Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). It now remains to be seen whether it will live up to this promise, but its performance at Shelsley Walsh is already providing an indication… A fine piece of revenge, just a few weeks after Xiaomi broke its record at the Nürburgring.
