We stand at a turning point for Porsche as it hurtles toward an all-electrified future. There is a fork in the road for the brand’s most successful model in history, the Macan. You see, next year Porsche is set to introduce abrand-neww all-electric Macan, and by all indications it will be a really good one. But the current gasoline-powered Macan will continue on for a few more years while the EV version builds steam. It might get a little confusing soon, but you’ll definitely be able to tell the two models apart visually, as they will share absolutely nothing.
Here you can see an all-electric test mule being put through its paces as a preproduction prototype up near the Arctic Circle. This is the closest we’ve yet come to seeing the actual production model, which is set to debut later this year, likely in Turbo and Turbo S models.
From these photos, you can really see the body lines that Porsche has committed to for the Macan EV. The low and sloping rear roofline make the Macan much more similar in profile to the Cayenne Coupe than a traditional upright CUV. Up front you can see the slim Taycan-inspired headlights and a total lack of front grille, which isn’t really necessary in an EV platform. Interestingly, the Macan’s signature “wrap around” hood has been ditched in favor of a traditional narrowed hood and fender arrangement.
The Macan EV is likely to be based on the same Premium Performance Electric architecture as Audi’s A6 e-tron and Q5 e-tron. The A6 e-tron is said to offer over 400 miles of range per charge, and 800v charging architecture for rapid empty-to-full stops. Naturally, Porsche will engineer the Macan EV to similar standards.
As with previous Porsche utility vehicle offerings, the Macan EV will likely be geared more toward on-road performance with twin motors providing all-wheel drive and as much as 700 horsepower. As with other Porsche SUVs, however, the Macan EV will likely still have far more off-road prowess than it needs, thanks to instant torque from zero RPM, and precise control thanks to electric power delivery. Get ready for some silent off-roading in your Porsche, because that will be an absolute riot.
Photo credit: SpiedBilde