New Porsche SUVs will stick with petrol power amid shaky EV demand

The Porsche Cayenne, Panamera and its new super-sized K1 SUV will all be available with internal-combustion-engined derivatives for the foreseeable future. 

Porsche’s decision to rethink its product plan will align it more closely with EV demand, which is experiencing a slower-than-expected uptake across all global markets. This, plus threats around shrinking sales in China and US tariffs, has forced the brand into rethinking its plans to safeguard profitability in the medium to long term. 

Porsche full-size K1 SUV to launch with combustion and plug-in hybrid powertrains

Porsche’s full-size K1 SUV will be launched with combustion and plug-in hybrid powertrains. This new model line was initially planned to only be available with an all-electric powertrain, and be built on Porsche’s own ‘SSP Sport’ platform.

However, plans have changed as Porsche said in a statement: “The new SUV series above the Cayenne, which was previously planned to be fully electric, will initially be offered exclusively as a combustion model and plug-in hybrid at market launch.”

This doesn’t mean an electric variant has been ditched, but that a petrol variant will be prioritised. What this means about the K1’s underlying platform is another question, though. If you’re interested in buying a new Porsche, with petrol or battery electric powertrains, make sure to check out the Auto Express Buy a Car service for all the best deals. 

Porsche also said: “The development of the planned new platform for electric vehicles in the 2030s is to be rescheduled. The platform is to be technologically redesigned in coordination with other brands within the Volkswagen Group.”

This suggests that Porsche’s own ‘SSP Sport’ platform will be fundamentally redesigned, or replaced, since it was never originally engineered to fit a petrol powertrain. The ramifications of this means that a new pure-electric Panamera and next-generation Taycan, which were also meant to run on this platform, have been put on ice in their original intended forms. 

ICE-powered Cayenne and Panamera to be renewed for a new generation. 

The current petrol-powered Cayenne and Panamera will be updated in their ICE forms, and remain on sale well into the 2030s. In the short term, the current generation of Cayenne will be updated for a third time, but newly confirmed is that development resources have been allotted to the development of new generations for both Cayenne and the ICE-powered Panamera. 

In the statement, Porsche confirmed: “Current models such as the Panamera and the Cayenne will be available with combustion engines and plug-in hybrids well into the 2030s. New generations of successor models have been added to the Cycle Plan for these vehicle models.” 

EVs investment might be slowing, but they’re still part of the plan

Despite all this pivoting towards ICE models, Porsche’s EVs are still very much part of its plans. Updated versions of the existing electric line up, including Taycan and Macan EVs, are all still in development.

The new Cayenne EV is also still go, and will be revealed before the end of 2025 with huge levels of performance and innovations such as wireless charging. Porsche has also reconfirmed the all-electric 718 replacement, which will still arrive, albeit 12-18 months behind schedule.

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