Best-selling sports SUV will spawn an electric sidekick with 603bhp at launch
George Hill George.Hill@haymarket.com
LATE 2023
LIKE A CERTAIN sci-fi character whose claim to a PHD is questionable, the Porsche Macan SUV will soon regenerate – in its case into a fully electric vehicle (EV). However, unlike Doctor Who, the new Macan will co-exist alongside its combustion-engined predecessor for a while to ease the transition.
Porsche has good reason to play it safe like this, because the current Macan is its best-selling model. But with sales of EVs also booming and many countries (including the UK) planning to ban new petrol and diesel models in the not too distant future, it also makes sense to offer a successor that builds on the success of the fully electric Taycan performance car.
Not that the electric Macan shares its mechanicals with the Taycan. Instead, it’s built on new underpinnings that will also be used by the upcoming Audi Q6 e-tron, due to the fact that Porsche and Audi are both part of the VW Group.
Where the two will differ, beyond styling, is in the performance they offer. Porsche has said the electric Macan will produce 603bhp from launch, whereas even the hottest Q6s are expected to top out at around 500bhp. That said, cheaper and less powerful Macan EVs are expected to follow later.
Whichever version you choose, you’ll get a 100kWh battery that should offer a range of around 325 miles.And given that it can charge at a rate of up to 270kW, a 5-80% top-up should take as little as 20 minutes.
To help differentiate the electric Macan from the combustion-engined model, it will feature a split-headlight design and a more heavily raked roofline. Plus, you can expect a significantly higher starting price of around £70,000 compared with £50,800.
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