Born in the distant year of 2002, the Porsche Cayenne was a pioneer in the brand. Otherwise let's see. In addition to being the brand's first SUV, it was also the first series-produced model by Porsche to have five doors and even had the “honor” of being the first Porsche car with… a diesel engine.
However, if 18 years ago its launch was the subject of long discussions and was involved in great controversy (after all until then Porsche only made sports cars), today the importance that the SUV had for the German brand is undeniable.
Responsible for the huge leap taken at the beginning of the 21st century — if the Boxster saved Porsche in the 90s, it was the Cayenne that made it grow to today's volumes — the Cayenne was also responsible for the “foundation” of a segment where many brands compete today: that of sporty luxury SUVs.
A long story already
Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2002, the Porsche Cayenne now has three generations. The first remained on the market until 2010 and, in addition to the ever-appealing Turbo, Turbo S, and GTS variants, the Diesel version was the highlight.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Appeared only in 2009 during the facelift of the first generation of the Cayenne, this used the services of a 3.0 V6 TDI with 240 hp and 550 Nm. variant met success.
Lighter than its predecessor, the second generation born in 2010 remained faithful to the Diesel (it received a diesel “S” variant with the 385 hp V8 TDI) and electrified itself with the first hybrid version, opening the doors to a trend that is increasingly the norm.
Thus, in addition to the Hybrid variant created in 2010, the second generation of the Cayenne would also have a plug-in hybrid variant in 2014. Designated the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, this one had between 18 and 36 km of electric autonomy (NEDC).
The third and current generation appeared in 2017 and abandoned Diesel, betting only on gasoline and on the increasingly common plug-in hybrids. However, in 2018 the “family” grew, having come to rely on a Coupé variant.
Now, 18 years after the launch of its first SUV, Porsche is to be congratulated, having seen the Cayenne's one million unit off the production line, in this particular case a Cayenne GTS painted in Carmine Red that was already bought by a German .