Porsche to Launch Cayenne e-Hybrid in 2014

Everyone's going hybrid, including Porsche. Following the launch of the 918 Spyder, the 2014 Cayenne is tipped to get a new plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Here's the bottom line: Porsche earns a boat load of money for every Cayenne and Panamera it sells. The 911 and Boxster/Cayman, by contrast, don't produce nearly the same profit margins, so it's fair to say that an SUV and sedan are what makes it possible for Porsche to develop and build its sports cars, including the upcoming 918 Spyder. That's business, folks.

Motor Trend is reporting when the Cayenne receives a facelift in 2014, a plug-in hybrid version will also be offered.

The Cayenne e-Hybrid, as it will likely be called, will have a drivetrain similar to the current Cayenne Hybrid, only it'll be more advanced for more electrical power and capacity. The electric motor will also be upgraded to produce somewhere around 95-100 horsepower, thereby making it possible for the Cayenne to drive in urban areas in pure EV mode only. Highway travel, however, is a different story. That electric motor clearly won't be powerful enough to handle highway speeds, however its power combined power with the 333-horsepower supercharged V6 gasoline engine will produce an output of around 420 hp, more than enough for proper acceleration.

The Cayenne e-Hybrid will be four-wheel-drive only and its EV range should come in at around 15 miles. Porsche will also offer owners a unique smartphone app to control and monitor charging remotely. A fast-charger for the 918 Spyder is still under development but will also be made available for Cayenne e-Hybrid owners. The Cayenne accounts for 44.7 percent of Porsche's US sales alone, and with plug-in hybrids slowly beginning to pick up steam, the 2014 Cayenne e-Hybrid will likely move quite well.

Posted in: Porsche