2026 Porsche Cayenne Caught Testing on Nürburgring With Intriguing Wheel Arch Details

Last year, we saw the first test mules of the upcoming Porsche Cayenne EV tested on public roads. The spy pictures showed a Macan lookalike, which was unsurprising, considering that the Cayenne will use the same PPE architecture as its smaller brother. However, now we know better that the all-electric Cayenne will not have much in common, design-wise, with the Macan EV. Instead, it will adopt a more streamlined silhouette that reminds us of the second-generation Audi Q7.

As Porsche advances with the development, we get to see more details of the electric SUV. In May, two Cayenne EV prototypes offered a new perspective on the 2026 model. While one featured two air grilles at the rear, the other lacked any. This suggested that Porsche is testing several setups for the thermal management systems or different versions of the model. We also got to see the active air intake louvers in the lower area of the front bumper.

A new set of pictures snapped by our photographers on the Nurburgring race track in Germany allowed us to see this active grille in action. As the prototype zoomed through the chicanes of the Nordschleife (literally "The North loop"), the louvers on the left side were halfway open, while the other half on the right were still closed. This shows an insane level of control over the intake air volume that will make the Cayenne EV very efficient.

Although this is the first time we see Porsche testing the Cayenne EV on the Nurburgring, another detail is more newsworthy. As you can see in the pictures, the prototype sports intriguing foam "ornaments" around the wheel arches and the underbody. This reveals that Porsche is fine-tuning the suspension and, more specifically, the ground clearance and the space under the wheel arches during high-speed cornering.

The white foam gives engineers an idea of the suspension travel as it gets scraped during driving. As you can see in the gallery, the Cayenne EV is a heavy beast, which causes the suspension to compress visibly in some sections of the racetrack, like Schwalbenschwanz. Porsche will likely need to adjust damper firmness to keep the suspension travel in check.

Eagle-eyed readers might have noticed that the Cayenne EV sports charge ports on both sides. This is not a prototype thing, and you'll find this detail on every EV from Porsche (and their related models with Audi badge). AC charging is available on both sides, but DC charging is only possible on the right charge port.

The Cayenne EV will debut in 2026 with a dual-motor setup and more power than the Macan EV, which delivers 402 horsepower in its base variant. However, the Macan Turbo unleashes up to 630 horsepower. The Cayenne should probably be slower because of the added weight, although Porsche could use even more powerful motors. The Cayenne EV will feature a bigger battery than the Macan EV, aiming for over 300 miles of range.