The Porsche Cayenne goes electric, and it can wirelessly charge like a phone

It should be no surprise that traditional manufacturers are changing up their nameplates to be electrified, and Porsche is no stranger to this, with projects like the Macan and 718 Electric up its sleeve. This time, the Cayenne gets that treatment, and it introduces many firsts to the brand, including several technologies that have been derived from its experience in motorsports.

The most important part of the new Cayenne Electric is its dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrains. The base Cayenne Electric has 408 horsepower and 835Nm of torque, which  increases to 442 horsepower with launch control.

Meanwhile, the Cayenne Turbo Electric can deliver up to 1,156 horsepower and 1,500Nm of torque, with power normally sitting at 857 horsepower, and an available 176 horsepower when using push-to-pass. It can do 0-100kph in 2.5 seconds, reach 200kph in 7.4 seconds, and hit a top speed of 260kph.

The motorsports influence can be seen in its powertrain too. The Turbo can make all this power thanks to direct oil cooling on the rear electric motor, while both cars have a very efficient up to 600kW of power recuperation, something derived from Formula E. Of course, it comes with adaptive air suspension, torque vectoring, the Porsche Active Suspension Management, rear wheel steering, to name a few.

The 113kWh battery across both variants can deliver up to 642km for the Electric and 623km for the Turbo, and thanks to the new 800V tech, it can charge up to 400kW under specific conditions, juicing up from 10 to 80% in less than 16 minutes, plus, is the first Porsche to support the 11kW wireless charger that you just need to park above a floor plate.

The new Cayenne’s looks have been streamlined in a similar vein to the Macan for a drag coefficient of 0.25 with simplified bumpers, body cladding, frameless doors, and 3D-effect side skirts, aerodynamic wheels ranging from 20 to 22-inches, slimmer Matrix LED headlights, a rear light bar with the Porsche wordmark integrated within, and active aerodynamics a lá 911 GTS (at least for the Turbo Electric) front and back.

The interior is also a huge departure compared to the previous Cayenne, featuring a swath of OLED displays: a digital driver’s display, and a curved 14.25-inch screen that “melts” into the center console. Optionally, you can specify a 14.9-inch passenger display and a large 87-inch heads-up display with augmented reality.

It also comes with a panoramic sunroof with electrochromic dimming that allows for specific patterns to be turned transparent or opaque, extended ambient lighting across the entire cabin, and panel heating, which also warms other contact surfaces such as armrests and door panels

Apart from your usual leather-appointed upholstery that can be configured to your liking, the longer wheelbase of 3,023mm allows for 13cm more rear legroom, also allowing for electrically adjustable rear seats, luggage capacity from 781L up to 1,588L, plus a 90L front trunk.

Interestingly, the Cayenne Electric will not be replacing the traditional gas-powered models, but instead, will be sold alongside the current models, just like how Toyota offers the Zenix alongside the Innova, and the Vios and the Ativ. Would you pick this over the Cayenne PHEV with all of its innovations?

^{Photos from Porsche}