All-Electric Macan Rumored to Pack 700 Horsepower

Serious Punch

As we've learned from the Taycan, Porsche's first EV, the electric life ain't all that bad. And in fact, it can be pretty darn exciting. Of course, the Taycan might be the first, but it certainly won't be the last of Porsche's EV offerings. We already know an electric Macan is in the works. And if a recent report from Autocar turns out to be true, it might pack a more serious punch than we originally thought.

Photos: Porsche 

Spilling the Beans

To this point, we knew nothing, really, about the Macan EV other than the fact that Porsche was going to build it. But Autocar managed to extract additional info from none other than Julian Baumann, Porsche's director of SUVs, at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. And Baumann was keen to share quite a few interesting details about the future model.

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Differentiating the Two

Firstly, Baumann revealed that the EV Macan will sport an entirely unique body style to differentiate it from the gas model. It will arrive in 2021 but will be sold alongside the older Macan during a transitional phase. Like the Taycan, the Macan EV will be positioned as the performance model of the bunch, carrying the same Turbo badging to signify its higher output.

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New Architecture

The current Macan will be sold alongside the electric version partly because "some customers are not ready for EVs," Baumann admitted. "So there will be two different cars." The Macan EV will be built on Volkswagen's new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which has been developed from the Taycan's J1 platform. 

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Reaping the Benefits

The new architecture has been specifically designed for both low-riding cars and high-riding SUVs, offering up the same flexibility for both. Using this new platform, which is also shared with Audi, helps the automaking giant save a reported 30% on costs as well.

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No Differences

But as Baumann told Autocar, there are really no other unique variations producing either the Taycan or the Macan EV. "There are no real differences in the challenges of developing the Taycan and Macan. The current Macan is not so aerodynamic and we’re working hard on this. It’s the Taycan team working on it. With the Taycan, we haven’t given anything up to get the aerodynamic performance and I’m confident it will be the same for the Macan. The 600kg battery isn’t beneficial to dynamics, but the low center of gravity is an advantage."

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Unique Advantages

"The design of the electric Macan is the next step, but it will be immediately recognizable," Baumann said. This, despite the fact that it shares "no common body structure." It also allows Porsche to do things like lower the nose for better airflow, as they don't have to worry about packaging an engine under the hood.

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Years of Overlap

In addition, Porsche deputy chairman Lutz Meschke told Autocar that the gas and EV Macans will overlap for at least a couple of years. This is because electric cars are thriving in some areas, yet not so much in others. They must also wait for infrastructure to catch up in areas where there is little to nothing today.

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Serious Power

The most exciting news, of course, is the fact that Porsche intends to offer serious power from the electric Taycan Turbo S. Upwards of 700 hp and 750 lb-ft of torque, according to Autocar. But the Macan will come with a variety of power levels based on trim, which will also include base and Turbo models, among others.

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Lofty Goal

For those worried about too many changes need not worry as the new Macan will "maintain the DNA of the previous model. It’s our biggest seller. We’ll keep the spirit. It’s the sportiest model in the segment," Baumann concluded. Which, of course, is great news for Porsche fans. And judging by how well the Taycan turned out, we have no doubt they'll achieve this lofty goal.

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