How the first Porsche Cayenne was designed

The Porsche Cayenne turns 20 this year, and to mark the occasion Porsche is looking back at the development of its first SUV. The latest information focuses on the design process of the first E1 Cayenne, code-named "Colorado."

The design of the Cayenne, Porsche's first four-door production model, was challenging because it required incorporating familiar Porsche styling elements into a completely different shape.

For example, the designers wanted the front fenders to have a higher peak than the hood, like the 996 911 of the time. However, in order to accommodate the Cayenne's V-8 engine, the hood itself had to be considerably higher; adapting the 996 911's headlight shape to the Cayenne was also a challenge, and Porsche says it took a year to complete.

With fairly limited resources for vehicle development, Porsche initially planned to base the Cayenne on the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, but eventually twin-linked the SUV with the Volkswagen Touareg. The first Cayenne and Touareg shared the same windshield and doors, the latter of which prevented designers from differentiating the Porsche from the VW. [Current Porsche design boss Michael Mauer, who worked on the 2007 E1 Cayenne facelift, said in a statement, "It is easy to underestimate how much the doors make the side of the car stand out. 'There is another metre or so behind the rear doors and only a little more at the front.'

In addition, the majority of the interior was made up of VW carryover components. This meant compromising the Porsche trademark while cutting costs. The first Cayenne did not have a centrally located tachometer, a Porsche hallmark. This necessitated the design of a custom instrument cluster at an exorbitant cost. The ignition remained located at least to the left of the steering wheel.

The VW influence was also seen, but buyers did not seem to mind. The Cayenne was a huge success that brought financial stability to Porsche and ultimately outlasted its Touareg platform mate in the US.

The current third-generation Cayenne shares the Volkswagen Group MLB platform with many other luxury SUVs, including the Audi Q8, Bentley Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus, each with its own distinct personality and styling.