Porsche Cayenne: What we know so far

Porsche will be taking the wraps off the new generation Cayenne tomorrow. Ahead of its global unveil, the German carmaker has teased the SUV in a single design sketch. We have spotted the new Cayenne being tested on multiple occasions. The flagship off-roader was spotted testing in the cold weather of Lapland, burning rubber at the Nurburgring, and also traversing the city streets of Europe. Now, in a run-up to the official unveiling, here is everything we know so far about the all-new Porsche Cayenne.

Third generation:

When Porsche introduced the Cayenne in 2002, it received a mixed reaction in the global market. The purists hated the idea of an SUV wearing the Porsche badge. However,  developing an SUV in order to keep pace with the shifting trend, a well thought out decision by the Stuttgart-based carmaker. The Cayenne is now the highest selling model in the Porsche line-up. It was Porsche's first off roader since its Super and Junior tractors of the 1950s, and the first-ever Porsche with four doors. The third generation Cayenne is internally referred to as the E3 by Porsche.

Evolutionary design:

The new Cayenne will sport an evolutionary design. The headlamp design will remain the same but it will carry the new signature four-point LEDs as seen on the 911 and Panamera. The silhouette, as previewed in the sketches, is noticeably sharper with a raked D-pillar. The Panamera effect also continues at the rear. The SUV will give away the bulbous tail lights of the current car for the new sleek LED taillight design which runs across the rear of the vehicle. Overall, the new Cayenne will be sleeker, sportier and more handsome looking as compared to the outgoing car.

New Platform:

The new Cayenne will adopt the new MLB Evo platform. The Volkswagen Group’s newly developed architecture currently underpins the Audi Q7. The upcoming Volkswagen Touareg will also share the same platform. The MLB stands for ‘Modularer Längsbaukasten’ in German which translates to "Modular Longitudinal Matrix". The platform will help the Cayenne shed some weight while cutting down on engineering costs. 

Porsche will introduce the V6 and V8 gasoline engine at the launch, while the diesel engine options will be introduced later. The plug-in hybrid variant too will surely be introduced in a couple of years’. 

Extensive testing:

Porsche claims that the new Cayenne has undergone a series of examinations under temperatures ranging from -45 degrees to +50 degrees. The prototypes and pre-production models have completed a total of around 4.4 million test kilometres, boasts the German carmaker. 

The Cayenne was tested all around the world. It was tested on race tracks like the Nürburgring, Hockenheimring and Nardo. It also underwent testing in the extreme temperatures from the cold Alaskan snow to the hot sand dunes in Dubai and the arid wastes of the Death Valley in California. Porsche also claims to have tested the third-generation SUV in the cities of China, Sweden, Finland and Spain. On the other hand, the on and off-road testing was carried out in South Africa, Japan and New Zealand.