Porsche undecided on the name of the Macan Electric SUV

Here’s a roundup of the Porsche Macan Electric (working title), which will be the next electric car from Porsche arriving in 2023.

Range & Technical Aspects

Porsche has listened to Taycan customers who feel their electric sportscar was not offering enough range. According to a cnet.com report, Michael Steiner, Porsche’s Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development, said that the Macan Electric’s range would be “significantly more” than the Taycan.

Given that the Taycan achieves 484 km (300 miles WLTP), engineers would be targeting a 550 km/350-mile range for the electric SUV. Plus, Audi’s annual report from 2020 stated that the VW Group is targeting a 600 km (373 miles) WLTP range with the PPE platform, which will have its debut on the Macan Electric. Further, Steiner added that the Macan EV would be available in two battery options with the larger capacity targeted at North American buyers. The e-SUV would be similar in size to the gas-powered version.

At Porsche’s annual conference held in March this year, CEO Oliver Blume hinted that future Porsche EVs would see technical advancements beyond just larger batteries. Blume said that e-motors and power electronics would be “even more powerful” and efficient in future iterations and hinted that Porsche would continue upping its quick-charging technology. The Taycan and Cross Turismo can quick charge at 350 kW presently. And to put their new technologies to the test, Macan Electric would see around 3 million test kilometers across varying geographies and conditions before the start of production.

Source: Youtube/Audi Japan

Design

The Porsche Macan electric will be an SUV-coupe with a sharper design than its combustion counterpart. The coupe silhouette would aid aerodynamics, and give it a visual appeal of being more sporty than its gas-burning rivals. It will also have to identify itself as a Porsche as group company Audi would be using the PPE platform for the Audi Q6 e-tron, a mechanical cousin the Macan electric.

Performance

PPE models will see one electric motor at the rear as standard. In addition, a second motor at the front (for eAWD functionality) can also be spec’ed. Compared to the VW Group’s MEB platform (which underpins the VW ID.4) the system voltage of the PPE platform is 800 volts.

The range-topping Macan electric is expected with 650 hp wearing the Turbo S moniker, while a Turbo variant with up to 550 hp could be the mid-spec variant. This is still around 120 hp more than the petrol-powered Macan Turbo which maxes out at 434 hp.

“The all-electric Macan will be the sportiest model in its segment,” says Steiner. The vehicle is expected with “repeatable best-in-class performance figures,” as per Porsche.

Will the regular Macan sell alongside it?

Porsche understands that complete adoption of EVs is still some time away. Hence, the regular gas-powered Macan is not going anywhere. In fact, a deep facelift is on the anvil for the Macan which will soldier on at least until the middle of this decade. Blume told autozeitung.de in October 2020 that the company was “significantly upgrading” the Macan so that customers can choose if they want the Macan Electric or a standard Macan. Test mule sightings reveal that comprehensive changes await the interior, which would have a cleaner look.

Back to the Macan Electric, production is slated to take place at the Leipzig plant and preprations to upgrade the plant to make the electric SUV are underway. The Porsche Macan Electric could be revealed later this year.

Porsche Macan Electric FAQs

Featured image: Porsche