Mid-sized all-electric SUV will use Taycan tech but won’t immediately replace existing model
Porsche’s programme director for SUVs models, Julian Baumann, has confirmed that the upcoming all-electric Macan model will not immediately replace the existing combustion powered model when it appears in 2021. Instead, both models will be sold in parallel. Speaking to Autocar magazine, Baumann explained the reasoning behind the move and indicated it ultimately comes down to market readiness for all-electric vehicles. “Some customers are not ready for EVs, so there will be two different cars,” he said. That reflects the fact that infrastructure, including charging stations, varies dramatically across the world. Using an EV as primary transport is thus much more practical in some territories than others.
In fact, branding and positioning aside, the two Macans will be entirely unrelated. The combustion version will essentially carry on, albeit with a further facelift along the way. However, the electric Macan will be based on the new Taycan’s platform and technology. Despite not sharing a common body structure, Baumann says the electric model will still be immediately recognisable as a Macan. It will have a practical and spacious SUV cabin rather than a more style-orientated ‘coupé’ design ethic.
Initially, at least, the EV option will be pitched as the premium performance option, complete with Turbo and Turbo S branding. The most powerful electric Macans could offer as much as 700hp or more and deliver stupendous raw performance numbers. Porsche expects that battery performance for the Macan will be in the region of 20 to 25 per cent better than the first Taycan cells. But a major leap in battery performance will come in around five to seven years with the introduction of solid-state batteries, which could double power density compared with the best lithium batteries now available.
As for how long the two variants will be sold in parallel, expect a minimum of two years and perhaps up to four years. The latter end of that range would mean the combustion Macan was by then 12 years old and thus pretty ancient by any measure.
It’s hard to see how Porsche could sell the car any longer and it’s equally unlikely that it would want to invest in creating an all-new combustion option at that point. That reflects a broader expectation at Porsche that around 30 to 40 per cent of models sold within five years will be pure electric.
The new all-electric Macan will be based on the Taycan platform and will not automatically replace the combustion powered Macan
