CARS I PEOPLE I SCOOPS I MOTORSPORT I ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR
MISSING: BABY AND BATHWATER
Porsche’s huge-selling Macan goes entirely electric. Is that really a good idea?
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The all-new, all-electric Porsche Macan might follow the trail blazed by the Taycan in 2019, but where Porsche’s first EV supplemented existing sales, the new Macan must replace a combustion-only predecessor whose near-100,000 sales came a close second to the Cayenne in 2022. So this newcomer has to hit the ground running when it finally launches –after various delays –later this year.
A family resemblance eases the abrupt transition from an incumbent that doesn’t even offer mild hybridisation to a full EV future, but only inconsequential clips and fixings are shared between the two. The new Macan moves away from the clean-sheet J1 architecture developed for the Taycan and – unlike bet– hedging BMW or the collective of Stellantis brands – leaves no provision for internal-combustion derivatives spun from the same building blocks.
Instead a new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform co-developed with Audi lays foundations for the Macan, Audi Q6 e-Tron and Porsche’s plan that more than 80 per cent of sales will be zero-emissions by 2030. (Some markets will continue parallel sales of the existing Macan, probably for two or three more years.)
Two Macan variants – the 4 and the Turbo – are confirmed for launch, both with one permanently excited synchronous e-motor per axle. The rear motor is beefier than the front, and in extreme situations able to provide most of total system power, in the case of the 4, or all the power for the Turbo. There is a single-speed transmission rather than the Taycan’s two-speeder.
Neither variant lacks go. The 4 is good for 402bhp (only a little below the current range-topping Macan GTS), with a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds and 138mph flat out. Prices for the 4 start at £69,800, with the Turbo clocking in at £95k, but for that you get 630bhp, a 3.3 0-62mph time and 163mph top speed. Those specs also leave room for other derivatives, which might include a reardrive ‘2’.
In all cases, a 100kWh lithium-ion battery (95kWh usable) nestles between the axles, with 12 individually replaceable modules providing a maximum 383-mile range in the 4 – better than the rather disappointing maximum figure for the Taycan (316 miles), but also topping the Tesla Model Y (331 miles) and BMW’s iX3 (285 miles) and iX (up to 349 miles).
Battery construction and power electronics are comparable to the Taycan’s, including an 800-volt architecture that opens the door to smaller cables for less weight, better packaging and shorter charge times. With all your charging stars aligne
