It's been nearly two years since Porsche confirmed a fully electrified version of its best-selling Macan SUV is on the way. Prototypes have already been spotted testing by our spy photographers. The Porsche Macan, last updated for 2019, will receive yet another refresh that's expected to debut later this year. The battery-electric variant is due in 2023. But unlike the relationship between the BMW X3 and overseas iX3, the new gasoline-powered Macan and the EV model won't share a platform.

The latter will be the first Porsche to ride on a new dedicated EV platform called Premium Platform Electric (PPE). In other words, the ICE Macan and EV Macan won't share an architecture. Typically when two models from the same brand don't ride on the same platform, they also have different names.

Does this mean the Macan EV may not even be called Macan? Speaking to Roadshow, Michael Steiner, a member of the company's executive board for R&D, not only confirmed both ICE and EV variants will be sold alongside each other, but that they're "very close" in overall size. But what about the EV's name? "We call it internally Macan electric," Steiner said. "The final decision whether it will be [named] Macan in the market is not decided today."

Equally interesting, Steiner admitted the Macan EV (or whatever it'll ultimately be called) will have better range than the Taycan. The PPE setup incorporates the Taycan's 800-volt architecture but Porsche has improved the Taycan's often criticized range this time around.

"We learned range and range anxiety is an issue in some markets," he said. Exact figures aren't yet available but the electrified Macan will have "significantly more [range] than the Taycan." Like the Taycan, the Macan EV will offer two different battery sizes though this could vary by market. In North America, for example, customers typically opt for the bigger and more powerful battery because, again, range anxiety.

Porsche hasn't announced exactly when the Macan EV will debut, or when the final name will be decided, but expect to hear more about this vital new model in the coming months.