Porsche Macan EV coming in hi-po ‘Turbo’ versions first

After announcing that the next-generation Porsche Macan would go all-electric, a couple of Porsche execs filled Autocar in on a few more details on what’s coming. Perhaps most importantly, any shoppers who’d like to stay in the combustion-engined Macan family should know that the current crossover will continue on sale next to the electric version. The Macan EV is due in 2021, Porsche deputy chairman Lutz Meschke hinting that the ICE Macan would hang around until about 2023. That’s because, according to Porsche SUV boss Julian Baumann, “some customers are not ready for EVs.” That plan would also help Porsche, seeing that the Macan is the automaker’s most popular vehicle and 2021 isn’t far away.

The electric SUV will sit on the PPE architecture derived from the Taycan’s J1 platform. Designers have what sounds like a massive challenge, since the electric crossover won’t look anything like the Macan we know now, having “no common body structure” with the ICE version. At the same time, Porsche predicted the new generation will be “immediately recognizable,” and “maintain the DNA” and “keep the spirit” of today’s Macan. Porsche’s put the Taycan design team on the case, the crew charged with maintaining traditional crossover profile and utility — read: Not a coupe — with aerodynamics that assist the EV cause. 

Autocar says the high-performance versions will come first, badged Turbo and Turbo S just like the Taycan. The Turbo S at the top of the range could be good for 700 horsepower and 750 pound-feet of torque from two electric motors, one at each axle. We’re not sure, but the power figure likely takes into account an overboost function; the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S, for instance, produce 616 hp in normal circumstances, but that can be overboosted for brief spells to 670 hp in the Turbo, 750 hp in the Turbo S. The Taycan Turbo makes 626 lb-ft, the Turbo S 774 lb-ft.

After the top trim models break the ice, less powerful versions will follow. The current ICE Macan range spans from 248 hp and 273 lb-ft at the bottom to the new Macan turbo with 434 hp and 406 lb-ft at the top. Based on the current figures and pricing, a big dose of sticker shock could be on the way for Macan shoppers; the Turbo already starts at $85,000. That would give Porsche another rationale for maintaining the ICE model alongside the electric trims — the battery-powered models could be seen as higher trims for the first two years until the lesser models show and bring prices closer to Earth.