Porsche has confirmed its updated Cayenne will debut in the northern spring, and there are new official development photos of the crossover going through its paces.
All of our previous spy photos have been taken on tarmac or in the snow. With these official photos Porsche is keen to emphasise the Cayenne’s off-road abilities.
The Zuffenhausen-based brand has confirmed some of the new features that will be available on the updated crossover. These include a new semi-active chassis, “new and extensively digitalised display and operating concept with enhanced connectivity functions”, and brighter high-definition matrix LED headlights.
Unfortunately the photos released by Porsche today don’t reveal any new styling details about the facelifted Cayenne, which has been well documented through a constant drip of spy photos since 2021.
Externally the biggest changes will be the slimmed down headlight clusters, a revised bonnet, more aggressive bumper designs, and new tail-light graphics that stretch across the full width of the tailgate.
Interior spy photos have shown the Cayenne will dispense with its analogue tachometer in favour of a fully digital instrument cluster. Some prototypes have also been filmed with a 911-style stubby gear selector in place of a more traditional stick.
It’s unclear at this stage what drivetrain changes Porsche has planned for the Cayenne upgrade.
The third-generation Cayenne crossover made its debut in 2017, and the “coupe” variant was launched in 2019. The current car looks set to be the last offered with petrol engine options, with the next generation model expected to be based on the electric-only Platform Premium Electric, which will underpin the upcoming Macan EV, as well as a slew of models from Audi, including the Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron.
According to Porsche, prototypes for the Cayenne facelift have clocked up a total of four million kilometres, with most test vehicles completing 200,000km within a few months.
Testing locations include off-road tracks in Spain, sand dunes in Morocco, winter snow and ice in Finland, and the Nürburgring Nordschleife track.
