STUTTGART: Porsche AG unveiled an electric version of its popular Cayenne sports utility vehicle, one of the models developed under an ambitious EV push that the luxury-car maker has since scrapped.
With a starting price of €105,200 (RM502,580), the Cayenne Electric will be able to charge wirelessly and provide almost 400 miles (644km) of range, beating the longest-range Tesla Model Y offered in Europe.
The car's debut on Wednesday comes at an awkward time for Porsche. The German manufacturer is pivoting back to combustion-engine and hybrid models following weak demand for luxury EVs including its Taycan.
Porsche reported its first quarterly loss as a listed company last month, and has cut its guidance four times this year in a slump that's also weighed on parent Volkswagen AG.
The poor performance saw the stock drop out of Germany's benchmark DAX index.
As part of its EV pullback, Porsche shelved a new electric SUV range positioned above the Cayenne and delayed other battery-powered models.
The automaker, which has also been hit by weak sales in China and US tariffs, has overhauled its top management and is trying to push through more cost cuts.
Porsche expects an improvement from 2026, when former McLaren Automotive Ltd. boss Michael Leiters takes over from Oliver Blume as chief executive officer. His knack for hybrids may help the company as it retools its portfolio.
In the meantime, Porsche is looking to the new Cayenne to bolster EV sales.
Introduced more than two decades ago, the combustion-engine model has consistently ranked among Porsche's top-selling vehicles and helped the company expand from a sports-car brand into a broader luxury nameplate.
Its new electric sibling is decked out with in-car gadgets including a head-up display and a voice assistant powered by artificial intelligence.
It's the first Porsche that can charge its battery by parking over an inductive floor plate.
A pricier Turbo version, starting at €165,500 (RM790,650), delivers the equivalent of up to 1,156hp and can reach 100kph in 2.5 seconds.
That's on a par with Ferrari NV's Elettrica electric supercar and makes it the most powerful production Porsche ever, the company said.
