Things have certainly moved on from there though as the German manufacturer so famed for its sports cars has now released a video of a new generation of plug-in hybrid Cayenne crossovers undergoing some endurance road testing.
Although hard details about the new Cayenne PHEV are still scarce, Porsche insists it will be coming to market soon, and will offer a greater range than the current incarnation to make it comparable to the company's other plug-in hybrid model, the Panamera.
This new generation is set to be called Cayenne E-Hybrid and will be a replacement for the current Cayenne S E-Hybrid, and the smart money suggests it will be in showrooms later this year as a 2019 model.
Although its powertrain hasn't been confirmed other than it being a plug-in hybrid, it's almost certain it will use the same setup already found in the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid.
That would mean a combination of a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V-6 with an electric motor integrated with the gearbox, which at the moment in the Panamera is an eight-speed dual-clutch unit.
Of course, being a Porsche, the focus is on power and performance rather than just fuel economy, so the combined output of that unit at the moment is an impressive 463hp and 702Nm of torque.
But if that's not enough to tempt you away from a petrol-powered version of the new Cayenne, but you still fancy a hybrid, an even more potent Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid should appear in the family before too long. If this is also the same as the unit as we already know from the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, we can look for something similar to the Panamera's 680hp.
The video of the new Cayenne PHEV (with German audio) shows engineers carrying out their testing in South Africa on rough asphalt roads and in cities, that essential winter testing in Canada in -40 degree Celsius temperatures, and high altitude summer testing in the sand dunes of Dubai where the temperature is 41 degrees C.
Oliver Laqua, Porsche's director of complete vehicle product line SUV, explains: "The Cayenne has actually also been our door opener to hybridisation. We've basically learned over time we need to upgrade the vehicle again in terms of emotional appeal and sport handling. Our new strategy, as predicated by the 918 Spyder and implemented with the Panamera, actually means that we offer the most emotional and powerful vehicle by far among all plug-ins in the Cayenne's derivative class."
