An intriguing Porsche Cayenne Coupe prototype has been spied testing in Stuttgart, Germany, near the company’s headquarters.

Porsche took the covers off the Cayenne Coupe roughly 11 months ago as a sleeker and more appealing alternative to the regular Cayenne we’ve become familiar with. It has been presented in a number of guises with the range currently topped out by the Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe featuring a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain with 670 hp and 663 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque.

What’s interesting about the Cayenne Coupe prototype in question is that it features a unique rear bumper with faux tailpipes on either side and a set of real tailpipes protruding from the center of the bumper. There also appears to be some tape around the taillights. What is Porsche cooking up here?

One possibility is that the carmaker has developed a new sports exhaust system for the SUV that it will sell as an optional extra. However, we have our reservations that’s the case as prototypes have been recently spied winter testing with the same exhaust layout, suggesting we could have a brand new variant on our hands.

Since at least May 2019 there has been speculation that Porsche could stuff the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 of the Lamborghini Urus into the Cayenne Coupe to make for a new range-topping, non-hybridized version of the SUV. The engine of this prototype certainly sounds very powerful but it’s hard to say if it is indeed identical to what powers the Urus.

Whatever the case may be, it’s obvious that Porsche is working on something new for the Cayenne Coupe and we should soon see it unveiled.