It’s a similar strategy to what Audi plans to apply to its A6 midsize sedan line, which will offer both ICE- and EV-powered options, each built around completely different platforms. S it’s no surprise that the electric Macan rides on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings as the electric A6 E-Tron concept car that previews an upcoming production sedan bearing the same name.
While Porsche’s eager to share details about the development process of the electric Macan, which includes digital testing using computer models to simulate real vehicles and external properties, the brand’s currently keeping the SUV’s performance and powertrain specifics closer to the chest. Nevertheless, Michael Steiner, a member of Porsche’s executive board, told MotorTrend and other media outlets in a roundtable interview that the German brand plans for the electric Macan’s driving range to top the Taycan’s, which currently manages a maximum range of 227 miles per Environmental Protection Agency testing. We wager Porsche will squeeze at least 250 miles of EPA-rated range from the electric Macan.
Whereas the Taycan offers two different battery packs, the Macan EV will likely sell with just one (larger) battery option in North America, said Steiner. He acknowledged Porsche is prepared to offer the Macan EV with two different battery packs, but noted that North American customers tend to flock toward the larger capacity option, which provides more driving range.
Regardless of what’s supplying electricity to its drive motor or motors (we presume the SUV will offer single-motor two-wheel drive and two—or more—motor all-wheel-drive options), the electric Macan is due to crib a number of key pieces from its lower-slung Taycan sibling. Notably, the two share an 800-volt electrical architecture and a basic design language, the latter of which peaks through the camouflage of the electric SUVs in the attached images.
Swollen front fenders with driving and/or headlights that mimic those of the Taycan’s supply the electric Macan with a sporty-looking mug. (Whether the lamps located within the SUV’s lower fascia are there for testing or represent the actual location of the headlights remains a mystery at the moment.) No doubt, the Macan EV looks like it’ll take on the appearance of the conceptual love child of the gas-powered Macan and Taycan that it sort of is. It also seems as though the Macan EV will sport a more sloped roofline than that of the current Macan, thus allowing the electric model to serve as the “coupe” of the Macan range, too.
Whatever its performance details turn out to be, the Macan EV is sure to live up to the sporting heritage of the Porsche name. It’ll also surely wear a Porsche-appropriate price tag. Expect Porsche to reveal more information about the electric Macan, which will likely arrive in the United States as a 2024 model when it launches in 2023.