Inside the design of the Porsche Cayenne Electric

Behind the design of the new Cayenne Electric

A look at the exterior and interior design highlights with Porsche designer Oliver Rosenbohm

January 26, 2026 | 6 min read

Side view of Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric, partly in shade, partly in sunshine, parked next to swimming pool at modern house

Diving into the design details of the new Cayenne Electric. And how an image of Brad Pitt helped inspire a new feature

As the first-ever all-electric Cayenne, the new Cayenne Electric is a significant one. But its innovative nature is also told in story after story throughout the car, from its cutting-edge charging technology to motorsport derived know-how and, of course, its design.

Oliver Rosenbohm is Manager, Interior Design at Style Porsche. He was involved in the interior design of the very first Porsche Cayenne – the E1 – back in 1999 and in every generation of Cayenne since, right up to the new Cayenne Electric. So, who better to tell us about the design evolution of the car, both outside and in?

Front view of Porsche Cayenne Electric parked with curved concrete wall behind — Exterior highlights of the new Cayenne Electric include its highly sculptured bumpers, low bonnet and the signature Porsche HD Matrix LED headlights Photo: Porsche

Take us through some of the exterior highlights of the new Cayenne Electric, Oliver?

“First of all, while it’s the first fully-electric Cayenne, we nevertheless stuck to some really important design ‘keys’ when it came to the exterior. Proportions are the most important issue when it comes to exterior design and the aim was to strengthen the character of the new car in a Porsche-typical way but, at the same time, we really tried to push the new identity of this car. You have these highly-sculptured bumpers, very low bonnet and also the frameless doors – something that directly comes from our sportscars, as does its dynamic, sporty flyline.

“The HD Matrix LED headlights are also an essential part of our design DNA at Porsche. We have this four-point signature, which carries through all our models. And at the rear, you’ve got a really modern lighting strip which comes alive with these animations. These HD Matrix LED headlights and the sculptured bumpers really help emphasise the width of the car.”

Rear view of Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric showing Active Aero Wings, including detail of co-ordinates of wind tunnel at Weissach Development Centre imprinted within it — Aerodynamic innovations of the new Cayenne Turbo Electric include the adaptive Active Aero fins at the rear of the car. Imprinted within it are the co-ordinates of the wind tunnel at the Weissach Development Centre, where the car was developed Photo: Porsche

The new Cayenne Electric is considered the ‘sportscar among SUVs’. Tell us about its aerodynamic innovations.

“One of my favourite features on the exterior are the Porsche Active Aero Wings on the lower rear three-quarters of the Cayenne Turbo Electric. These adaptive blades move out at a certain speed to help improve drag. If the car didn’t have these, we would have had to incorporate these sharp ‘corners’ into the rear bumper as an aerodynamic requirement. Instead, these moveable aero blades helped us to keep our planned shape for the Cayenne Turbo – they move out to create this edge whenever you need it. It’s a really clever solution.

“They also incorporate this cool feature, which is the co-ordinates [48°51’05.7” N, 8°53’50.2” E] of the wind tunnel at Weissach – where it was developed – imprinted into them. I love that.”

What colours are the new Cayenne Electric available in?

“We will have a number of very different lines, where you can have different colour combinations – including bi-colours. You might choose from legendary colours like Oak Green Metallic Neo or Slate Grey Neo, for example. Another thing that’s really new and so exciting to see is the ability to personalise it with three different accent colours. These accent colours appear on some hardware elements in the interior, painted or PVD coated [Physical Vapour Deposition – PVD – is a coating used for automotive parts, like trim and engine components]. A lot of little details now follow this accent colour and add a lot to the car to help make it look very precious.”

Rear view of Cayenne Turbo Electric, showing rear lighting strip and Active Aero fins — The modern design language on display in the Cayenne Electric is apparent from every angle. Here, at the rear, it can be seen in the striking light strip with its distinctive 3D look and animated graphics, and its illuminated Porsche lettering Photo: Porsche

The interior of the new Porsche Cayenne Electric

“My very first project when I joined Porsche in 1999 was the first-generation Cayenne. And I have been involved in all of the subsequent Cayenne generations. For the new Cayenne Electric, the thing that stands out for me is that we’ve managed to come up with an interior which clearly shows that it’s a Cayenne, yet at the same time incorporates all the necessities and demands of the original briefing for the interior of the new model.

“A big highlight is the introduction of the Flow Display, which is a large display that ‘flows’ around the dashboard [the largest ever seen in a Porsche to date]. The new Cayenne Electric is such an impressive driver experience. The way you sit in the car is a big part of its identity of the car. Sitting in a Porsche is always different – you’re sitting lower, with everything custom tailored around you.

“One of my most favourite features of the whole car is the hand rest on the centre console. You sit in the car with your palm resting on the hand rest – it helps make scrolling on the curved Flow Display that much more convenient and comfortable as your hand isn’t suspended in the air. It feels so good, almost like your palm is bonded to this hand rest. You don’t want to put it anywhere else.”

Curved Flow Display in the Porsche Cayenne Electric — Inside the new Cayenne Electric there are plenty of delights, not least the unique curved Flow Display. The largest-ever display ever seen in a Porsche, it blends seamlessly into the centre console Photo: Porsche

“We also removed the grab handles that have been a strong feature of the identity of the centre console in every Cayenne to date. It means we have huge storage, with double cup holders and double wireless chargers. And there’s a sliding cover so you can close the whole thing. We’re always trying to create not just a dashboard, seats and doors – it’s as much about creating an ambience, with a very selective choice of materials and features, from fine stitching to ambient lighting.”

What’s special about the new Flow Display?

“We introduced the first curved display in a Porsche with the Taycan. With the Flow Display for the Cayenne Electric, we were looking to elevate the huge centre console and passenger display to the next level. What makes this interior so impressive and so modern is that nobody has done it in this way before, with this curved central screen that flows into the console.

“Here’s a little insight – when we were investigating the design of the hand rest, we were ideating ‘gestures’. One of the designers presented this picture of Brad Pitt on a Harley, with his hand hanging down, shifting the gears on the bike. He had such a cool expression as he did it. It got us thinking about how we might create the feeling of a unique gesture in the interior of the Cayenne that really suits the idea of it being a sportscar as well as an SUV.

“With your hand on the hand rest, you scroll with your finger through this curved display, with your fingertip following the curve of the screen’s radius. It’s all about this gesture.”

Away from the driver and passenger displays, the Cayenne Electric still incorporates buttons and switches. Why’s that?

“We’re all so used now to operating screens like our mobile phones or displays a certain way. But look at my hands – I’ve got fingers that can do so much more. I love VR goggles, but I also enjoy the manual movement of winding a wristwatch. It’s an emotional interaction, one that gives you feedback.

“So, right in front of the Flow Display screen in the Cayenne Electric, we have these knurled buttons that control the temperature of the air conditioning and audio volume, as well as rotary switches on the steering wheel. They give you feedback on many levels, whether it’s the coldness of the metal telling you what it is as you reach out for it or the click-click nature – the comfortable, haptic feedback – when you operate it.

“Yes, we have the curved Flow Display, but we’re always looking to find the right balance at the same time by incorporating buttons and switches. It’s something we will continue to develop in the future. Think of it as an expression of our design DNA, but on a smaller scale.”

Consumption and emission information

Cayenne Electric (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 21.8 – 19.7 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: . Cayenne Turbo Electric (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 22.4 – 20.4 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: .

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