Porsche Secretly Entered the 2027 Cayenne EV in a Hill Climb, and It Set a Record
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The upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne doesn't exist yet, but Porsche just ran it up a public hill climb.
On Sunday, Porsche entered the electric Cayenne in prototype form at the 2025 UK British Championship Hillclimb at Shelley Walsh. It's hard to miss what this thing is because the 'camo' wrap has Porsche Cayenne written all over it in neon purple and blue letters. Hilariously, the prototype also had a roof rack installed.
Porsche slid the prototype into the Road Cars Series Production Electric category of the event. The automaker's Formula E factor test driver Gabriela Jilkova piloted the prototype through the course.
The event announcers commented how the EV rocketed off the line thanks to the instant torque and it only took 1.94 seconds to hit 60 feet.
The action all takes place at the 2:36:42 mark in the video stream.
'For a big car that is scuttering up the hill something special,' the announcers said.
The prototype, which it's unclear if this was a production-spec vehicle, ran the course in 31.28 seconds, smashing the SUV record up Shelsley Walsh by over four seconds.
The camo-wrapped Cayenne EV prototype looks like a Porsche Cayenne with a slightly evolutionary design. The headlights include the now trademark quad LED daytime running light dots, and the rear features horizontal LED taillights. The greenhouse feels familiar, but the window line in the C-pillar is specific to the EV compared to the gas-powered Cayenne. Large wheels, maybe 22s or 23s, fill the wells.
Active aero both up front and possibly in the rear can be seen working throughout the blazing run up the hill.
Off the line it sounds like the Cayenne EV is making noise, presumably from a speaker, and during certain points up the climb it sounds as if there are noises coming from the electric SUV. Those sounds seem like they are coming during hard acceleration, but it's all quick and hard to be sure.
The next-generation Cayenne was set to be electric, but now Porsche has backtracked and will keep a gas-powered version alive past 2030.
With the electric Cayenne running up the hill climb in prototype form with only a mild camo wrap, it seems as if it's only a matter of time before the automaker reveals or starts talking about the upcoming EV.
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