2024 Porsche Cayenne inducts new plug-in hybrid variants [Update]

Update: ‘Cayenne EV expected to release in 2026’ sub-section of ‘Release Date’ updated.

Introduced in August 2017, the third-generation Cayenne is well over five years old. Porsche has given it a mid-cycle refresh, driving in design, tech, comfort, convenience, performance, and efficiency improvements. Here’s what we know about the 2024 Porsche Cayenne PHEV:

Design

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne has subtle design updates, visible mostly at the front and rear. The front is a fully redesigned section. There are new headlights, placed higher than those of the previous model. The new position of the headlights makes it look as if the nose is low, but that’s just a deliberate optical illusion. The fact is it’s even higher than on the previous model.

The designers in Zuffenhausen have also changed the hood of the third-gen Cayenne with the facelift. It looks as if it’s lower, thanks partly to the higher positioning of the new headlights, which are sharpened and very technical. In the lower area, the main grille carries beautiful decors that vary as per the configuration. A light blade on the flanks mimics the design of the slim horizontal slats, creating a harmonious overall picture, because the front light and the slats are very similar in terms of cut and contour.

Porsche has equipped the 2024 Cayenne with new high-res LED headlights with HD matrix beam. These headlights feature 32,768 individually controllable pixels each and have a different beam setting for different situations, including roadworks, narrow lanes, highways, etc. The new headlights, inspired by those of the Taycan, have slimmer light modules. Unlike on the previous model, Matrix LED headlights (not the new HD unit) are standard on the 2024 Cayenne.

At the rear, the 2024 Cayenne has a pronounced three-dimensional light. Unlike in the previous model year, the new rear lights are convex units. They further emphasize the width of the large SUV. The newly designed brand lettering isn’t behind glass, but like the rear light, is in a pronounced three-dimensional design. This change gives it a good visual depth. The new brand inscription is immediately visible from the rear light towards the middle. The license plate is lower, positioned on the bumper instead of the tailgate, giving the rear a cleaner look.

Porsche has added three new options to the color palette of the Cayenne with the refresh. Moreover, it is offering a new wide range of 20, 21, and 22-inch wheels for the updated model.

Interior

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne features a revised interior that has significant changes when seen in detail. The dashboard is a new panel that houses the ‘Porsche Driver Experience,’ the company’s new display and control concept. A trio of digital displays are integrated into the dash.

Unlike in the outgoing Cayenne, a straight horizontal line bisects the dashboard. There’s a new, fully digital instrument cluster without a hood cover. It’s a 12.6-inch curved display that looks sleek, thanks to the exclusion of a hood cover. The central display is a 12.3-inch panel, just like in the outgoing model, but a difference here is that it sits straight and looks more properly integrated into the dashboard because of that. Plus, there’s a new 10.9-inch passenger display, a feature unavailable in the outgoing model.

A pair of new vertical AC vents flank the outer displays built into the dashboard. The central AC vents, placed in the lower half of the dashboard, look more upright. An air quality system is standard in the updated SUV. It automatically activates air recirculation when the vehicle approaches a tunnel, using predictive navigation data. Optionally, it can detect the level of fine dust particles in the air and pass it through a filter to clean it up. An ionizer removes many germs and pollutants from the air.

The bridge-type center console has a cleaner design, thanks to the omission of a gearshift lever and the repositioned toggle switches. The new Cayenne features a 911-style, shaver-like gear selector between the fully digital instrument cluster and the central display. The electric parking brake is located right above this gear selector instead of on the center console. The 2024 Cayenne has a wide range of new and optimized advanced driver assistance systems, including the active speed limiter and the swerve assist, the cornering assist, and the improved Porsche InnoDrive.

The 2024 Cayenne features a new multifunction sports steering wheel, which originates from the 911. It has a new toggle button for choosing functions and designs in the instrument cluster. Optimized wireless smartphone charging power of up to 15 watts, Siri voice assistant recognition for operating vehicle functions, two USB-C ports in the front storage compartment, and another two USB-C ports in the rear area of the center console provide more convenience. Lastly, thanks to a new in-car video function, it’s possible to watch videos directly in the central display when the vehicle is stationary and in the passenger display while driving.

New variants & performance

The Porsche Cayenne PHEV is currently available in two flavors: E-Hybrid (455 hp/516 lb.-ft.) and Turbo S E-Hybrid (670 hp/663 lb.-ft.). In 2022, Porsche invited select journalists to a 2024 Cayenne prototype drive event in the U.S. One of them was Motor1.com‘s Steven Ewing, who said in a report on January 16, 2023, that there will be four plug-in hybrid variants in the refreshed Cayenne:

1. New variant with a 2.0-liter single-turbo in-line four-cylinder engine (China-only)
2. E-Hybrid with a 3.0-liter single-turbo V6 engine (global)
3. New variant (global)
4. Turbo S E-Hybrid with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine (global)

Porsche announced the first and second plug-in hybrid variants at the world premiere. Perhaps it plans to launch the other two plug-in hybrid variants at a few months later.

E-Hybrid

The first variant is also called E-Hybrid, but it’s exclusive to China. It clubs a 2.0-liter gas engine with a 100 kW electric motor. The result of this combination is 293 kW (393 hp) of system power and 650 Nm (479 lb.-ft.) of system torque. A 0-62 mph sprint takes 5.5 seconds and the top speed is 233 km/h (145 mph).

The second E-Hybrid variant, which is available in the U.S., uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged gas engine with a new electric motor. The engine produces 300 hp and 309 lb.-ft. of torque and the motor generates 174 hp and 339 lb.-ft. of torque. As net, 463 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque is available from this cooperation. A 0-62 mph sprint with Sport Chrono Package takes 4.6 seconds and the (track) top speed (with summer tires) is 158 mph.

Compared to the outgoing Cayenne E-Hybrid, the system power is 8 hp higher, but the system torque is 37 lb.-ft lower. However, Ewing says the instant torque of the electric motor makes the new model “perfectly quick” and also that the transitions between pure-electric and hybrid drive modes are smooth.

Porsche has tried to make the transitions between regenerative braking and friction braking feel seamless, but there’s room for improvement, per Motor1.com. As for the Turbo S E-Hybrid, there’s no word on the performance improvements, but that need not necessarily mean there won’t be any upgrades.

Adaptive air suspension

As an option, customers can specify the 2024 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid with a new adaptive air suspension with two-chamber, two-valve technology. The optional suspension improves the driving experience, precision, and performance. It keeps the SUV more stable in dynamic driving situations and offers a sharper differentiation between the Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus drive modes.

Motor1.com and Autocar expect the future global plug-in hybrid variant to slot between the global E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid variants. In the report published on May 6, 2021, the British publication said its powertrain could produce 552 hp.

Longer electric range in the PHEV

Porsche has bumped up the Cayenne PHEV’s battery pack’s energy storage capacity from 17.9 kWh to 25.9 kWh with the facelift. The company says this change should improve the Cayenne PHEV’s electric range by up to 80%. So, in the best-case scenario, the 2024 Cayenne E-Hybrid and 2024 Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid could deliver an EPA-est. range of 30.6 miles and 27 miles, respectively. That would be truly impressive considering the performance and weight of the SUV. In Europe, the maximum WLTP range of the 2024 Cayenne E-Hybrid is 90 km (56 miles).

The previous Cayenne PHEV used a 14.1 kWh battery pack initially. In October 2020, Porsche swapped it with a 17.9 kWh battery pack. The U.S.-spec version embraced this change with the MY2021 update. As a result, the Cayenne E-Hybrid’s EPA-est. electric range increased from 14 miles to 17 miles and the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid’s EPA-est. electric range increased from 12 miles to 15 miles.

Faster charging

A new 11 kW on-board AC charger has shortened the charging time of the Cayenne PHEV with the facelift. Despite the increased energy storage capacity of the battery pack, it takes approximately less than two and a half hours to charge it.

Release Date

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne PHEV, priced at USD 91,700 (excl. USD 1,650 DPH fee), is available to order in the U.S. now. It should begin arriving at local dealerships in Summer 2023. The refreshed model faces a renewed challenger in the form of the 2023 Range Rover Sport.

Cayenne EV expected to release in 2026

Porsche fans would also be thrilled when they find out that the company has confirmed a Cayenne Electric launch. Like the gas-powered SUV, the pure-electric, fourth-gen Cayenne will roll out of Volkswagen’s factory in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Cayenne EV is expected to break cover in 2025 and reach dealers in 2026. The Range Rover Sport Electric rival will likely be much pricier than the gasoline model.

Porsche plans to launch the Cayenne Electric in the middle of the decade, but it will continue building the gas-powered third-gen model, CEO Oliver Blume told Automobilwoche, the German publication reported on April 18, 2023. “That could go up to 2030,” Blume added, indicating the third-gen Cayenne will be one of the longest-running Porsches on the market, even eclipsing the first-gen Macan.

Porsche Cayenne sales

Porsche sold 21,194 units of the Cayenne and Cayenne Coupe combined in the U.S. in 2022. Compared to 2021 (17,299 units), that’s a 22.5% improvement in sales. In Q1 2023, combined Cayenne deliveries in the U.S. were 4,293 units, 38% higher than in Q1 2022 (2,653 units). The facelift with the upgraded specifications, and the gradual restoration of the automotive supply chain, could further increase sales.

Speaking to Yahoo Finance in February 2023, Dr. Kjell Gruner, President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America, said that the new Cayenne “will be super important” for the company’s business. Cayenne is the second most popular Porsche model line in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of Cayennes shipped worldwide sail to American dealerships. In 2022, worldwide deliveries stood at 95,604 units, and the U.S. contributed 22% to global sales. In Q1 2023, the Cayenne with 23,387 units sold, the Cayenne recorded a 23% growth over Q1 2022 (19,029 units).

TopElectricSUV says

In addition to subtle design changes, the 2024 Porsche Cayenne has several technology upgrades, as well as an efficiency-related powertrain revision. Those who aren’t ready to switch to EVs yet may find the new Cayenne plug-in hybrid even more appealing.

2024 Porsche Cayenne PHEV FAQs

Featured Image Source: Porsche