New Porsche K1 is rapid seven-seat luxury EV for 2027
New flagship will be capable off road and use advanced EV tech
Positioned above the Cayenne, 2027-bound high-tech luxury model confirmed as first SSP Sport model
Porsche's seven-seat, off-road-capable luxury electric crossover, primed to arrive in 2027 and sit above the Cayenne, will be styled as a raised coupe with "a completely new experience inside the vehicle".
Also designed to offer "offer strong performance" and automated driving, the new range-topper will be created will take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and BMW iX.
It will be unlike any previous Porsche production model, say sources privy to early design proposals, with a length stretching beyond five metres and a profile that is “part saloon, part crossover”.
CEO Oliver Blume has described the car, known under the internal codename K1, as “a very sporting interpretation of an SUV”. This will take the form of a raised coupe, he confirmed during its Annual General Meeting this morning: "This new vehicle concept is designed to offer strong performance and automated driving with the typical Porsche flyline, along with a completely new experience inside the vehicle."
"We are thereby underlining and strengthening our sporty luxury positioning. We are observing growing profit pools in this segment, in particular in China and the US."
When it arrives, the advanced four-wheel-drive flagship will head a growing Porsche line-up, consisting of seven individual models. The K1 will offer the latest in synchronous electric motor, high-performance battery and rapid-charging technology – developments that, insiders at the company’s Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany say, will extend its price well beyond the £150,500 of the existing internal-combustion-engined Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Already three years in conception and planning, the new Porsche model aims to build on the success of the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Macan, Porsche’s two best-selling models over the past two decades, as well as last year. The K1 is intended to support this trend with a combination of sportiness and utility that, it is hoped, will appeal to customers in its two largest markets: North America and China.
When it arrives, it will become the fifth electric-powered Porsche model after the Porsche Taycan, next year’s electric Macan, an electric Porsche Boxster/Porsche Cayman pairing due in 2025 and an electric version of the Cayenne tentatively planned for launch in 2026.
Having recently been listed on the stock exchange, Porsche is positioning itself as a leader in electric car technology. “We have a clear strategy to drive electrification forward over the next few years, aiming to deliver over 80% fully electric vehicles by 2030. It’s a very strong upward curve,” said Blume of Porsche’s sales targets.
The raised coupe will get a unique silhouette, insiders suggest, with a short bonnet by Porsche standards, a steeply raked windscreen and a curved roof that extends into a liftback-style tailgate. To give the new Porsche suitable off-road capabilities, it is also said to feature considerable ride height in its most extreme driving mode. Ground clearance will be adjusted via sophisticated air suspension with multiple settings.
The K1 will be the first car to sit on Porsche’s adaptation of parent Volkswagen Group’s Scalable Systems Platform, known as SSP Sport, Blume confirmed during the sports car maker's AGM. Although details are scarce, this is expected to offer more performance than the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture being developed in partnership between Porsche and its Volkswagen Group sister company, Audi.
Set to debut with the upcoming electric Macan due out in 2024, the PPE has been confirmed to initially support models with up to 603bhp and 737lb ft of torque using an 800-volt electric system and either single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual motor four-wheel drive layouts.
The K1 has been tipped by insiders to run an 920V electric system for even faster charging than PPE-based models, and oil cooling for the electric motors. What battery pack the K1 could use remains under wraps, although it is expected to adopt a cell-to-chassis layout for added structural integrity with an energy capacity of over 100kWh and a WLTP range of more than 435 miles in its most efficient form.
Other chassis tech planned for the K1 includes electronically controlled four-wheel steering that will offer up to 5deg of turning angle for the rear wheels to give added manoeuvrability at low speeds around town and greater agility at higher speeds. This feature will work in combination with an electronic differential that provides a torque-vectoring effect between each individual rear wheel.
Inside the K1, Porsche will offer "a completely new experience", Blume said, expected to be made possible through this new SSP Sport platform, with a focus on space. This is down to key architectural developments being pushed by Porsche for the new SSP Sport platform, such as a low cabin floor, courtesy of a slimline battery pack, and rear footwells similar to those of the J1 platform used by the existing Taycan.
Production of the new EV model is scheduled to take place alongside that of the electric Macan at Porsche’s Leipzig factory – the same site responsible for the existing internal combustion-engined Macan, Cayenne and Porsche Panamera.
*Porsche's bid on a high net-worth future means it has work to do, says Nick Gibbs*
Time was an SUV wasn’t considered aspirational enough to sit in the rarefied ultra-luxury category. Who would pay £150,000+ for an elevated hatchback? We’re way past that now, which is why Porsche feels confident enough to tackle the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX.
The fact that this new car is electric is less important than the company it keeps in this new price point. Launching in 2027 pretty much requires an EV.
Porsche has toyed with the lower end of this market with the range-topping £150,500 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and of course it understands the pricier reaches of the sports car market. But this is a direct bid to the world’s UHNWIs (ultra-high-net-worth individuals) that it deserves that spot in their garage that houses more everyday cars.
Porsche’s conviction of success stems both from its buoyant post-IPO valuation as well as the health of this market. Last year Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini all posted record sales, and for all three their SUV – the Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Lamborghini Urus respectively, was responsible for around half their sales.
Porsche already understands the power of the SUV. Last year the Cayenne and smaller Macan were its best-selling models, accounting for just under 60% of its total for the year.
Sales of the new model won’t come anywhere near the 95,604 Porsche clocked for the Cayenne in 2022 but with a start price that could even triple that of the entry Cayenne at £63,700, it should be enough to swallow development costs and still return a sizeable margin.
Porsche of course will be able to leverage the economies of scale from building on the Volkswagen Group’s premium PPE electric platform, which first emerges next year under the new electric Macan. Porsche already understands the benefit of platform sharing after building the Cayenne on the same VW Group MLB platform as the Urus, Bentayga and Audi Q7. The economics make sense. Now Porsche just has to convince the ultra-rich that this product is exclusive enough to part with their cash.