SPYSHOTS: Porsche Cayenne coupe spotted testing

What appears to be a tall-riding Porsche Panamera is actually a sleeker-roofed model of the Porsche Cayenne, in the mold of a Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe or BMW X6. Seen here with plates denoting “ABS” and markers on its wheels, the Cayenne coupe is presumably undergoing brake calibration tests.

Porsche will most likely give the sleeker SUV a name of its own, and a name that comes up as a candidate is “Sahara”. Interestingly, the number on its side incorporates a similar typeface and colour scheme and the racing numbers worn by the company’s LMP1-class 919 Hybrid racers – alluding to its recent race victories in the World Endurance Championship, perhaps?

Just like the new Audi Q7, the Bentley Bentayga, and the upcoming Cayenne, it should be based on the new MLB Evo platform which has contributed to the Audi’s significant weight savings. On top of the usual benefits from a weight loss regime, a separate source says that the Cayenne coupe also serves as a test bed for an all-electric SUV in this bodystyle, with notable competitors being the Tesla Model X and upcoming Jaguar EVs.

What’s under the hood hasn’t been confirmed, but the upcoming SUV variant can be expected to adopt the range of new engines from the new Panamera, including the 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine which produces up to 550 PS at 5,750 rpm and 770 Nm between 1,960 and 4,500 rpm.

Complementing it should be a range of petrol and diesel engines, including the V8 turbodiesel with variable turbine geometry, producing 422 PS at 3,500 rpm and 850 Nm from 1,000 to 3,250 rpm in the Panamera. At the entry level, the new Porsche model is also likely to feature the 2.9 litre turbocharged V6 also from the Panamera, which produces 440 PS at 5,650 rpm and 550 Nm from 1,750 to 5,500 rpm.

No interior pictures are available just yet, but the sleek-roofed Cayenne can be expected to adopt the same design language inside as the upcoming Cayenne, as well as the Porsche Advanced Cockpit, which features touch-sensitive surfaces replacing hard keys and configurable displays in place of conventional instruments.

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