Not that long ago, it seemed we were about to say goodbye to the gasoline-powered Porsche Cayenne forever. After pledging to electrify its fourth-gen luxury SUV, Porsche would have been left without an internal-combustion variant. But as the political climate began to turn in 2024, Porsche made the decision to keep the current gas model in production alongside the new Cayenne Electric.
Ever think one of your childhood friends was moving away over summer, only to have them show up the next year with a fresh set of braces? Well, this is kinda like that.
While the first model year for the current Cayenne was 2019, the cars have been in production longer than that, with the first rolling off the line back in 2017 for European markets. Now nearly a decade old, the Cayenne could use another nip-and-tuck to better align with newer products with which it will be forced to share showroom space.
The changes (along with the various disguises in place to conceal them) are rather subtle, but the front bumper is the most obvious new item. It now boasts a mouthier version of the Cayenne’s already-wide grille and a new set of headlights.
This prototype will help Porsche test the gas-burning Cayenne’s cooling systems with the updated bodywork in place. We don’t expect significant changes to the Cayenne’s powertrain lineup; after all, its entire reason for existing is to maintain the status quo for customers who aren’t interested in migrating to the new electric platform.
We expect to see the updated Cayenne debut sometime this year; the production version will likely hit U.S. roads next year as a 2028 model.
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