Porsche Cayenne Electric makes record-breaking debut at historic hill climb

KUALA LUMPUR: Porsche has started turning heads with its upcoming fully electric SUV, the Cayenne Electric, even before it hits showrooms.

Still in its prototype phase, the camouflaged SUV was recently spotted in action in the UK—both showing off its performance potential at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb and towing a 100-year-old car for a film project with TV host Richard Hammond.

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While the Cayenne Electric isn’t officially launched yet, this marks the first time Porsche has publicly demonstrated what the all-electric SUV is capable of, both in terms of speed and everyday practicality.

In a scene that could have passed for a motorsport throwback, a near-production Cayenne Electric prototype tackled the 1,000-yard (914 metres) Shelsley Walsh hill climb—a venue that’s been running races since 1905.

The person behind the wheel? None other than Gabriela Jílková, a development and simulator driver for Porsche’s Formula E team.

Despite the narrow, twisting tarmac that gets as steep as 16.7 percent, Jílková smashed the hill climb record for an SUV by over four seconds on her first go, clocking a time of 31.28 seconds.

More impressively, the Cayenne hit the 60-yard mark in just 1.94 seconds—territory usually reserved for purpose-built single-seaters on slicks.

“I felt completely confident at all times,” said Jílková. “There are no run-off zones and little room for error, but the active suspension gave the new Cayenne amazing stability and precision.”

The vehicle was fitted with Porsche Active Ride—a new active chassis tech that keeps the body perfectly balanced even during hard acceleration, braking, and cornering.

Michael Schätzle, Vice President of the Cayenne product line, described the system as a key part of pushing both comfort and sportiness further than ever before.

Towing a century-old car like It’s nothing

Performance aside, Porsche also wanted to prove that the Cayenne Electric isn’t just about going fast. In another segment of the shoot, Richard Hammond used the same prototype to tow a 100-year-old car from his workshop in Hereford.

The total load was around three tonnes, but Hammond noted that the EV barely broke a sweat. “We were trailing significant weight behind us, but you wouldn’t know it – the Cayenne handled it effortlessly,” he said.

Porsche says the Cayenne Electric is built to tow up to 3.5 tonnes depending on configuration—matching the capability of the current combustion-engine Cayenne. Schätzle emphasized that practicality remained a core part of the development brief: “Our customers have always appreciated the high utility value of the Cayenne. That's why we didn't want to make any compromises in the development of the all-electric model.”

The future of the Cayenne, but not the end of petrol, thank god!

While this electric version is getting the spotlight, Porsche says it’s not abandoning petrol or hybrid just yet. “Our customers will also have powerful and efficient combustion engine and hybrid models at their disposal well into the next decade,” said Schätzle. “However, we can only achieve the level of performance publicly demonstrated for the first time in England through the potential of electrification.”

If you’re curious to see the prototype in person, Porsche has confirmed that the camouflaged Cayenne Electric will be on display at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, from July 10 to 13.

As for the full reveal, that will happen closer to its market debut, but Porsche promises the production version will offer the same mix of power, agility, and practicality already demonstrated on camera.

For those wanting a sneak peek, the Richard Hammond film featuring the Cayenne Electric is already up on YouTube. More information and media can also be found on the official Porsche Newsroom.

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