Porsche Planning New Flagship Models Above 911 and Cayenne Lines

Have you ever started on a project, bought all the tools and materials you needed to complete it, gotten 90 percent of the way there, and then decided to scrap it and start all over again? Suddenly, the project that was supposed to take one week and cost $200 will now take you three weeks and cost $400.

Porsche just went through something similar, but instead of losing a few hundred bucks, the automaker recorded 5 billion euros (about $5.8 billion U.S.) less profit in 2025 than it did in 2024. Because of that, new Porsche CEO Michael Leiters is looking at higher-margin vehicles to get profits back where they used to be.

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"We are looking at models and derivatives both above our current two-door sports cars and above the Cayenne," Leiter said at Porsche's annual conference. Unfortunately, the executive didn't get much more specific than that, and Porsche didn't immediately respond to Car and Driver's request for comment. The potential new model above the Cayenne is pretty clearly the three-row K1 SUV that Porsche has been talking about for several years, but a new model above the two-door sports car lineup is more open-ended.

That could mean a more expensive and exclusive variant of the 911. We're due for a GT2 RS, after all. But Leiters's comments could also hint at something more akin to a 918 Spyder successor. With Ferrari launching the F80 and McLaren building the W1, it's now Porsche's turn to create the sort of tantalizing halo car that leaves jaws on the floor and sends the inner ear running for help.

Porsche hasn't left us many clues about what that potential halo model could be. The automaker has patented several new engine technologies in the past two years, first a six-stroke design in 2024, followed by a tri-turbo W-18 with three cylinder banks. Neither appears to be poised for production, but Porsche's been known to throw a curveball before.

The electric Mission X concept from 2023 could point to Porsche's plans, but given the lack of interest in ultra-high-end electric cars, it seems like an unlikely candidate for production. If the automaker was willing to pull any old ideas off the shelf, Porsche could also revive the twin-turbo 5.0-liter flat-eight engine that it was developing for use in a 918 successor. Unfortunately, Porsche said that the powertrain wasn't right for the company at the time and suddenly canceled the project during development. Given its current financial situation, perhaps Porsche will find it more economical to dust off a half-developed engine than to design something from the ground up.

Details surrounding the K1 are light, but they're clearer than anything we have on Porsche's next supercar. Rather than launching with an electric powertrain as originally planned, the K1 will arrive with both gasoline and plug-in hybrid setups. We know the new SUV will feature three rows, and while it was initially supposed to launch in 2027, the extra development time needed to convert the K1 from an EV could have pushed that arrival time back.

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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.

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