Next Porsche Macan based on PPE architecture, to be evolved version of Taycan platform – report

The Porsche Macan will be succeeded by a purely electric model in 2021 which will initially be a high performance model similar to the approach taken by the Taycan, the German sports car maker’s first production EV, though the EV Macan will line up alongside the existing, internal combustion-engined Macan in a transitional phase, Porsche director of SUVs Julian Baumann said to Autocar.

“Some customers are not ready for EVs, so there will be two different cars,” said Baumann. The new direction for the Macan was confirmed earlier this year, though now the next-generation Macan is reported to benefit from the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture developed from that of the Taycan, in terms of aerodynamics improvements and weight savings.

“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. 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 centre of gravity is an advantage,” said Baumann.

The PPE platform, which is currently being developed for Audi and Porsche models only, saves 30% in costs compared to developing a bespoke platform for an electric Macan, said Porsche deputy chairman Lutz Meschke. The overlap of internal combustion and fully electric Macan models will be for ‘a couple of years’, Meschke said, which was attributed to different rates of EV take-up in different markets.

“It’s difficult to say when the transformation will end. It’s different by region,” said Baumann, while Meschke predicted that 30% to 40% of all Porsches sold will be purely electric in five years’ time, the report said. The Macan EV will also not use a coupe shape, Baumann said. “We need to keep the everyday usability. It’s usually the main vehicle in the household,” Baumann added.

The Macan EV will be all-wheel-drive, employing one motor for each axle, and the most powerful variant will potentially be capable of around 700 bhp and 750 lb ft (1,017 Nm) of torque, Autocar reported. As with the Taycan naming convention, the two most powerful versions will bear the Turbo and Turbo S nameplates, with various power outputs below this level, the magazine added.

The high degree of precision enabled by electronic control of the drive motors and wheels should enable the Macan EV to be very effective off-road, it added. Meanwhile, deputy chairman Meschke said that Porsche could make current lithium-ion battery technology 20-25% more efficient, though the next big step could be from solid-state batteries, which is estimated to offer the same output for half the weight.

These new batteries, however, are ‘five to seven years from industrialisation’, Meschke noted. The Macan EV will be immediately recognisable, said Baumann, despite the new model having ‘no common body structure’ with the current-generation Macan.

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.