First drive: 2026 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric

V-8-like rumble? Bill. Massive, mass-defying acceleration? Bill. Business as usual for the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Well, not quite: I’ve never driven a Cayenne that can sprint to 60 mph in less than three seconds, that’s for sure. The new, fully electric Porsche Cayenne Turbo can do exactly that, according to Porsche. That performance isn’t entirely surprising, considering the fourth-generation Cayenne Turbo has an insane peak power of 1,140 hp.

Porsche isn’t ready to let us sit behind the wheel of a production model yet. That will come later this year. But for now, in what is a very lengthy launch phase for the new car, it has taken us to the Cayenne’s home base: not Zuffenhausen, Germany, but the VW Group’s massive factory in Bratislava, Slovakia. Here, on a test track normally used for quality control, I find myself bracing hard against the Cayenne EV’s center console as our grinning test driver throws the car into a long, banked bend at nearly 100 mph. The lateral grip generated by something so heavy is surprising; the acceleration afterwards straight to the main line is absolutely epic.

It’s hard not to see the new Cayenne as a numbers car. That power figure and the fact that it has the largest screen area of ​​any Porsche ever are the company’s main claims. Less mentioned, but equally surprising, is an empty weight of almost three tons.

The electric Cayenne doesn’t really feel like a traditional SUV, just as from the outside, with its low roofline and proportions exaggerated by huge optional 22-inch wheels (20s and 21s will also be available), it’s more of a cross between the previous Cayenne and a high-performance station wagon. Inside it’s quiet, very screen heavy and feels suitably premium, while the new generation seats feel comfortable yet supportive on first encounter. Not only are they heated, but various contact points in the vehicle also receive a warming treatment. As for the artificial noise, there are two options. Sport mode has a deep sci-fi effect, like a Taycan playing at half speed. Sport Plus provides the V-8 effect. It’s amusing at first, though I suspect I’d soon tire of it.

Less dramatic, but no less interesting, was the visit to Porsche’s new battery module production plant in nearby Horná Streda. In the clean, quiet, sterile facility, as if something is off I, Robot-A largely automated process takes pouch-type cells and builds them into the finished battery pack, consisting of six transversely mounted modules, with a delicate cooling layer on either side.

Those completed battery packs – long, flat, relatively thin aluminum boxes – find their way to the VW plant in Bratislava, where Wolfsburg has been building cars since early 1992. The huge site currently produces eight different vehicles, including the Audi Q7, VW Touareg and the current Porsche Cayenne. The VW Group has invested $1.4 billion in this over the past five years, but has the ability to adapt to the market and also try to dictate it. In this factory, both the third and fourth generation versions of the Cayenne are made not only under the same roof, but on the same line.

Porsche is just ramping up production of the new Cayenne in a brand new, state-of-the-art production hall full of menacing-looking robots, where the skateboard chassis is being built. They then cross the road via a covered line to the main body shop, where they are built up into finished monocoques that are recognizable as a Cayenne. The really clever thing is that the chassis for the outgoing model is also built in the same building, and will remain so for many years to come, as Porsche fully plans to offer combustion engine, hybrid and EV variants. These bare metal chassis are then moved back to the gigantic assembly hall, where they enter the line from the roof of the building. About 180 Cayennes, 120 Cayenne coupes and currently 12 new versions are completed on this line every day, but Porsche expects those numbers to shift significantly once the new variant hits the market. The crucial factor is how much: if the market flocks to the Cayenne EV, more of the high-tech chassis will fall from the sky; if not, you can expect many more outgoing third-generation models to appear in the Slovakian light at the end of the line.