Porsche unveils partially revamped Cayenne in Korea

Porsche released a partially revamped Cayenne for the Korean market Thursday, five years after the last redo.

Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann poses with the Cayenne Turbo GT on Thursday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

Porsche released a partially revamped Cayenne for the Korean market Thursday, five years after the last redo.

The updated model comes with a stronger engine and more luxurious interior design, with the German carmaker saying it made the largest-ever investment for any facelift in its 75-year history.

Three versions are available for the market, the Cayenne, Cayenne Coupé and Cayenne Turbo GT, with customer delivery to start in September 2023.

Powered by a three-liter six-cylinder turbo engine, the new Cayenne generates a maximum of 360 horsepower and a torque of 51 kilogram-meters (34.3 pound-feet).

Interior of the Cayenne Turbo GT [PORSCHE KOREA]

It takes 6 seconds to hit 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) from zero, while Cayenne Coupé takes only 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of 248 kilometers per hour for both models.

The Cayenne Turbo GT, available in the dynamic Coupé design, boasts up to 673 horsepower. It can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in only 3.3 seconds while the maximum speed is 305 kilometers per hour.

"The Porsche Cayenne is a style icon of the luxury SUV segment as well as a symbol of Porsche's continuous innovation,” Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann said at a press conference held in southern Seoul on Thursday. "We look forward to the positive reactions of our fans and customers for the new Cayenne, which, despite being a facelift model, has undergone a complete makeover with the highest investment ever."

The sticker price of the Cayenne begins at 133.1 million won ($99,210) while the GT model starts at 261.9 million won.

Since its introduction in 2002, the Porsche Cayenne has become the brand’s best-selling model with over a million units sold worldwide. More than half of all Porsche cars sold in Korea in the first quarter were Cayennes.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]