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Porsche has unintentionally released an image of the upcoming Macan EV, giving us our best indication yet of the new car’s styling. The German firm’s upcoming pure-electric SUV will make its debut in two years time, becoming the second EV in Porsche's line-up after the Taycan.
This clay model provides a decent indication of how the pure-electric Macan will look. Unlike the current model, the second-generation SUV will feature a smoother front bumper and slim headlamps – both of which appear to have been influenced by the Taycan. Previous spy shots also show that the SUV will adopt a more coupe-like silhouette, too.
Porsche’s designers have put a lot of distance between the first and second generation Macans for one very important reason – the two cars will both be sold alongside each other for some time, offering buyers the choice of four- or six-cylinder petrol power in the old car and a pure-electric drivetrain in the newcomer.
New 2022 Porsche Macan: platform and technology
The second-generation Macan will be the first Volkswagen Group car based on the firm’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings. It’s best described as an all-electric counterpart to the current Macan’s MLB platform, which is destined for larger and taller cars than MEB – the auto giant’s electric MQB equivalent.
Technical specifications are limited, but Porsche has hinted that the PPE platform will share the same 800V/350kW charging capability as the Taycan. This suggests the Macan will have an equally long range – and, given the extra space under the SUV’s floor for batteries, the line-up could easily be crowned by a 300-mile-plus variant.
Like the Taycan, we’re expecting the Macan will be offered with a few different power outputs, as well as both short- and long-range battery packs. Porsche will also likely provide buyers with a choice of either rear- or four-wheel-drive, with the latter being achieved with the addition of an electric motor on the front axle.
Since its introduction in 2014, the Macan has been a huge success for Porsche – the company shifted almost 100,000 examples worldwide last year alone. However, that success hasn’t deterred the company from radically overhauling the SUV after only its first iteration, as the brand’s research and development boss explained in a recent interview.
“We already started the development of an electric Macan,” Dr Michael Steiner, Porsche’s executive board member for R&D, told Auto Express. “It is an obligation for us, at Porsche, to think about and work on sporty answers to electric cars.”
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Steiner continued, saying: “The electric Macan will be based on a new electric platform, not a derivative. It was developed jointly with Audi, and is called the PPE. Knowing that there is not a lot of speed in the transition from ICE to electric, we are preparing to have both paths running in parallel.
“For a few years, the internal-combustion-engined Macan of today will be sold in parallel with the new fully electric car,” he told us. “And it depends on the market demand all around the world how long we will have both.”
Dr Steiner also mentioned how the Macan’s new underpinnings could open up the possibility of many more electric variants. He said: “PPE is totally different from the Taycan’s [J1 platform]. That was designed for cars sitting low, the PPE for the Macan is designed for high-floor cars, so there could be [electric] derivatives in the range of SUVs.��
Are you pleased to see the Macan join Porsche's expanding electric car range? Let us know in the comments...
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This clay model provides a decent indication of how the pure-electric Macan will look. Unlike the current model, the second-generation SUV will feature a smoother front bumper and slim headlamps – both of which appear to have been influenced by the Taycan. Previous spy shots also show that the SUV will adopt a more coupe-like silhouette, too.
- SEE MORE Best electric SUVs to buy now
Porsche’s designers have put a lot of distance between the first and second generation Macans for one very important reason – the two cars will both be sold alongside each other for some time, offering buyers the choice of four- or six-cylinder petrol power in the old car and a pure-electric drivetrain in the newcomer.
New 2022 Porsche Macan: platform and technology
The second-generation Macan will be the first Volkswagen Group car based on the firm’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings. It’s best described as an all-electric counterpart to the current Macan’s MLB platform, which is destined for larger and taller cars than MEB – the auto giant’s electric MQB equivalent.
Technical specifications are limited, but Porsche has hinted that the PPE platform will share the same 800V/350kW charging capability as the Taycan. This suggests the Macan will have an equally long range – and, given the extra space under the SUV’s floor for batteries, the line-up could easily be crowned by a 300-mile-plus variant.
Like the Taycan, we’re expecting the Macan will be offered with a few different power outputs, as well as both short- and long-range battery packs. Porsche will also likely provide buyers with a choice of either rear- or four-wheel-drive, with the latter being achieved with the addition of an electric motor on the front axle.
Since its introduction in 2014, the Macan has been a huge success for Porsche – the company shifted almost 100,000 examples worldwide last year alone. However, that success hasn’t deterred the company from radically overhauling the SUV after only its first iteration, as the brand’s research and development boss explained in a recent interview.
“We already started the development of an electric Macan,” Dr Michael Steiner, Porsche’s executive board member for R&D, told Auto Express. “It is an obligation for us, at Porsche, to think about and work on sporty answers to electric cars.”
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
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Steiner continued, saying: “The electric Macan will be based on a new electric platform, not a derivative. It was developed jointly with Audi, and is called the PPE. Knowing that there is not a lot of speed in the transition from ICE to electric, we are preparing to have both paths running in parallel.
“For a few years, the internal-combustion-engined Macan of today will be sold in parallel with the new fully electric car,” he told us. “And it depends on the market demand all around the world how long we will have both.”
Dr Steiner also mentioned how the Macan’s new underpinnings could open up the possibility of many more electric variants. He said: “PPE is totally different from the Taycan’s [J1 platform]. That was designed for cars sitting low, the PPE for the Macan is designed for high-floor cars, so there could be [electric] derivatives in the range of SUVs.��
Are you pleased to see the Macan join Porsche's expanding electric car range? Let us know in the comments...
Continue reading...