Porsche's 3-row EV SUV to be launched in 2026: 'Very un-Porsche-like'

Porsche is working on its largest vehicle to date. It is a fully electric, three-row SUV, and according to dealer sources who have seen it, it will not simply resemble a scaled-up version of the Cayenne or Macan.

The seventh model line was confirmed in July by Porsche CEO Oliver Blume. The CEO said the introduction is part of Porsche's strategy to increase margins by focusing more on the high-end segment. As a result, the car will be positioned above the Cayenne.

Automotive News (subscription required) reported this week that the car, code-named "K1," could go on sale in the US as early as 2026. In an interview with Automotive News last year, a dealer who was shown images described the car as "part sedan, part crossover." Another dealer said it was "very un-Porsche-like" and "not like a Macan or Cayenne."

Upon reviewing the vehicle, Blume described it as "a very sporty interpretation of an SUV."

Production will take place at Porsche's plant in Leipzig, Germany, where the Panamera and Macan are built. The plant will also produce the upcoming electric Macan.

The electric Macan, whose launch has been delayed by about a year to 2024 due to software problems, uses the Volkswagen Group's PPE, a dedicated EV platform led by Audi, a brand in the same VW Group as Porsche. While it is possible that the new SUV will use this platform, it is also possible that it will use a high-performance version of the VW Group's more advanced SSP platform that Porsche is developing The first model of the SSP platform will be born in 2026, and it will be a Volkswagen It will be a Volkswagen.

The only thing Porsche has said about the technology is that it will borrow technology from Porsche's Mission R concept, which was unveiled in 2021. This concept featured a high-performance battery, a 920-volt electrical system, and an oil-cooled electric motor.