Porsche May Be Planning Its Craziest Car Yet, Report Says
The idea of Porsche building SUVs is no longer controversial. The Macan and Cayenne have become Porsche's most popular and profitable vehicles, and have developed into impressive sports cars in their own right. What Porsche does not have in the lineup, however: a three-row, family-hauling crossover. But that may change very soon.
Automotive News is reporting that Porsche is developing a new flagship model that will be larger, longer and wider than the Cayenne. The vehicle, the report suggests, will likely offer up to three rows of seats, with room for as many as seven people. The report has it arriving for the second half of the 2020s — so figure around 2026.
It's not clear what precisely this new Porsche will look like. One dealer described it to Automotive News as a "new style of vehicle that is part sedan, part crossover" and noted it was "rakish." So, a larger cross between the Cayenne and Panamera? Well, not quite. Another dealer said the vehicle is "very un Porsche-like" with a flat rear design that is "not anything like a Macan or a Cayenne."
Unlike most current three-row family haulers, Porsche's vehicle won't be powered by pure internal combustion. Dealers told Automotive News that the flagship would launch as a plug-in hybrid with an EV to follow. But Automotive News also says the vehicle will borrow from advancements made by VW's Landjet project, which is purported to deliver a similarly-described EV that could offer more than 400 miles of range. However, if that's the case, why bother with PHEV in 2026?
Why a three-row SUV? Automotive News says going practical would be a bid to attract younger buyers to the Porsche brand. They cite an AutoPacific survey, which found that the median age of Porsche car buyers was 60 — while the median age of Porsche SUV buyers was just 38. While it may be tempting to blame older buyers for Porsche SUVs, there's a better chance that maniac dropping $140,000-plus on a new 718 Cayman GT4 RS is the one answering to "Grandpa."
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