In a busy month for Porsche, the firm has released images of the second-generation Macan. This is a lightly facelifted version of the original but with more modern powertrains and minor suspension and steering revisions to go with modest cosmetic enhancements. The basic Macan comes with a 2-litre four cylinder engine based on that used in the VW Golf GTI and it is likely to play a far larger role in the car’s future now Porsche has purged its ranges of diesel engines for the foreseeable. The Macan S will drop its old 3.6-litre motor for a more modern 3.0 V6 with far better fuel consumption and around 355bhp, while the Macan Turbo will have a 2.9-litre version of the same engine (the reduction in capacity resulting from a beefed-up crankshaft) with approximately 434bhp.
Inside, the car will benefit from most of the interior changes seen on the Panamera and Cayenne, including a new nav screen and touch-sensitive pressure pads replacing many buttons. Outside the car will be most readily distinguished from its predecessor by its wraparound tail lights. Sales in the UK will start before the end of the year.
Porsche has also released further details of its first all-electric car, the Taycan, first mentioned in our June issue. Those hoping for performance figures to transcend anything yet seen in this arena should manage expectations: Porsche has confirmed the Taycan will hit 62mph from rest in under 3.5sec, which is pretty rapid by most standards but still several tenths adrift of the fastest Tesla. Even so, remember that Porsche is always conservative with its claims. Porsche also says the Taycan will reach 124mph (200kph) from rest in under 12sec – which is approximately the pace of a current 911 GTS. Its range on the NEC cycle is ‘more than 300 miles’ – competitive but not ground-breaking.
Additionally, the clearest images yet of Porsche’s new 911 have surfaced on the internet. They show the car in what even Porsche insiders concede is almost completely undisguised form and reveal that, as ever, its silhouette is almost entirely unchanged.
Code-named 992, the car sits on an evolved version of the extant 991’s hybrid steel and aluminium platform, but is believed to include increased aluminium content to offset weight gained in other areas. Most notable among these will be a hybrid drive system that, while not available at the car’s launch in November, will certainly arrive within a year or two. It is understood that much of the engineering challenge behind the car has been finding a way of incorporating the batteries and electric motors without losing significant amounts of interior or luggage space and, indeed, adding significant mass.
At launch, then, expect the car to be unveiled in Carrera and Carrera S form, as per Porsche tradition. These will likely retain the 3-litre, flat-six turbo motors of the current car, but with their outputs raised slightly but significantly from 365bhp and 414bhp. If Porsche then runs true to form, the next car to be unveiled will be the Turbo, followed by a GT3 and other niche models like the T and GTS. When it comes the GT3 is believed to be the first Porsche to wear that badge not to feature a normally aspirated engine, so for the first time all 911s will be turbocharged.
Inside, the car will benefit from most of the interior changes seen on the Panamera and Cayenne, including a new nav screen and touch-sensitive pressure pads replacing many buttons. Outside the car will be most readily distinguished from its predecessor by its wraparound tail lights. Sales in the UK will start before the end of the year.
Porsche has also released further details of its first all-electric car, the Taycan, first mentioned in our June issue. Those hoping for performance figures to transcend anything yet seen in this arena should manage expectations: Porsche has confirmed the Taycan will hit 62mph from rest in under 3.5sec, which is pretty rapid by most standards but still several tenths adrift of the fastest Tesla. Even so, remember that Porsche is always conservative with its claims. Porsche also says the Taycan will reach 124mph (200kph) from rest in under 12sec – which is approximately the pace of a current 911 GTS. Its range on the NEC cycle is ‘more than 300 miles’ – competitive but not ground-breaking.
Additionally, the clearest images yet of Porsche’s new 911 have surfaced on the internet. They show the car in what even Porsche insiders concede is almost completely undisguised form and reveal that, as ever, its silhouette is almost entirely unchanged.
Code-named 992, the car sits on an evolved version of the extant 991’s hybrid steel and aluminium platform, but is believed to include increased aluminium content to offset weight gained in other areas. Most notable among these will be a hybrid drive system that, while not available at the car’s launch in November, will certainly arrive within a year or two. It is understood that much of the engineering challenge behind the car has been finding a way of incorporating the batteries and electric motors without losing significant amounts of interior or luggage space and, indeed, adding significant mass.
At launch, then, expect the car to be unveiled in Carrera and Carrera S form, as per Porsche tradition. These will likely retain the 3-litre, flat-six turbo motors of the current car, but with their outputs raised slightly but significantly from 365bhp and 414bhp. If Porsche then runs true to form, the next car to be unveiled will be the Turbo, followed by a GT3 and other niche models like the T and GTS. When it comes the GT3 is believed to be the first Porsche to wear that badge not to feature a normally aspirated engine, so for the first time all 911s will be turbocharged.
