Porsche is readying the new 2024 Porsche Macan EV compact crossover SUV - its first product on its new Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings - but it's been fraught with difficulty. Twinned with the upcoming new Audi Q6 e-tron, the two PPE-based electric SUVs were already supposed to be on the roads, but have been delayed by more than a year due to Volkswagen's Cariad software division falling behind schedule. These EVs might now only arrive in the USA at the end of 2023 or even later. An updated gas-powered Macan is expected for the 2024 model year to coincide with the launch of the Macan EV and the two are expected to be sold alongside each other at least initially, as Porsche bolsters its EV range with a view to electrifying half of its lineup by 2025 and be 80-percent all-electric by 2030. How long the gas-powered Macan will remain on sale will likely depend on demand. PPE is an 800-volt architecture, just like the current J1-based Taycan, but with a more advanced battery and a significantly longer range. The Macan EV will face off against rivals such as the BMW iX3, Polestar 3, Lexus RZ, and Genesis GV60, and performance "Turbo" and GTS versions should pack well over 600 horsepower.
When Is The Porsche Macan EV Coming Out?
The Macan was already due on the roads as a 2023 model, but now it will only be coming out late in 2023 at the earliest as a 2024 model if there are no more delays. Due to the uncertainty, no firm release date for the Porsche Macan EV is therefore available. The possibility that the launch could be delayed to as late as early 2024 looks increasingly likely in view of VW's difficulty in addressing its Cariad software problems.
What’s The Price Of The Porsche Macan EV?
Whereas the Audi Q6 e-tron is going to be positioned to compete in a price class somewhere between and MSRP of $60,000 and $85,000, it is unlikely that the price of the 2024 Porsche Macan EV will start below $70,000 for an entry-level RWD derivative. In fact, flagship performance derivatives are expected to cost $100,000 or more.
Porsche Macan EV Exterior And Colors
What we know about the 2024 Macan EV's exterior is what we could deduce from the spy photos we've seen so far, which isn't a whole lot. We know the profile will be a coupe-like steeply raked shape reminiscent of the Cayenne Coupe, with a low drag coefficient of around 0.25 to optimize range. We can see that the headlights will resemble those of the Taycan, despite Porsche disguising the development cars with stickers of oversized headlights to distract us. Production cars will obviously lose the fake grille we've seen on test mules, and will feature what looks like a lower air intake with active grille shutters to reduce drag. We've also seen an active rear spoiler on disguised factory test vehicles, ostensibly to improve stability and generate some downforce at speed. An interesting detail is that the prototypes spied so far all have frameless doors, like the Taycan.
It's likely to be fitted with Porsche's new LED headlights with HD matrix beam, which have a surface area four times as high and a light output twice as high as normal LEDs, as well as a non-dazzling high beam with an anti-dazzle gap in the beam. Wheel sizes up to a diameter of 22 inches will be available.
With not even a single undisguised one spotted in the wild, we can but speculate about the exterior colors the Porsche Macan EV will be offered in. Unlike some other German brands, Porsche offers its existing Taycan EV in a range of exciting colors, even including extroverted hues such as Frozen Berry, Cherry, Mamba Green, and Carmine Red, so there's no reason to believe that similar choices won't be available for the Macan EV. Anyway, Porsche customarily offers a paint-to-sample option to its buyers, so you'll probably be able to order your Macan EV in any color you desire if you're willing to pay for it.
Dimensions
We expect the exterior dimensions of the Porsche Macan EV to closely approximate those of the new Audi Q6 e-tron, which is to say the SUVs should be a touch larger on the outside than the current Q5 and gas-powered Macan. It is known that the PPE platform is flexible enough to allow for wheelbases between 113.8 and 121.2 inches and track widths varying from 64.6 and 67.5 inches. Based on these constraints and considering it's meant to be a compact luxury crossover, we don't expect a length of more than 190 inches, a width of more than 75 inches without the mirrors, a height of more than around 65 inches, or a wheelbase longer than 115-116 inches. All of this will be wrapped in an aerodynamic body that will need to have a drag coefficient of around 0.25 to ensure a decent range.
Weight will, of course, be up significantly on the gas-powered Macan by dint of the large battery pack, which might exceed 100 kWh in the top trims. Unless Porsche has worked wonders limiting weight on the PPE platform, don't expect a Macan EV to kick off at much less than 5,000 pounds, with the top trims with the largest battery exceeding that figure.
Porsche Macan EV Engine and Performance
The Macan EV will be a true Porsche and performance both in a straight line and around corners will enjoy top priority. What the bottom and mid-range trims will be like, we don't yet know, but a few figures that have been bandied about for the Audi Q6 e-tron include a derivative with 469 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque - which would make sense for an "S" mid-range Macan EV, if the car follows the same naming convention as the gas-powered Macan. This should be good enough for a 0-60-mph run in under five seconds. Most derivatives will likely have dual motors with AWD, but the possibility cannot be excluded that Porsche will launch a RWD base trim with one motor.
The electric motors of the Porsche Macan EV's top GTS or Turbo trims should develop around 603 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. Porsche reckons that's an "initial" maximum figure - and some reports suggest 700 hp is possible, but we take that with a pinch of salt until the actual figures are confirmed. Nevertheless, these performance flagships should reach 60 mph in well under four seconds. The electric motors are similar to the ones used in the Taycan but have been further optimized for power density and efficiency and now feature silicon-carbide semiconductors to reduce switching losses. The performance versions will sport the whole gamut of tech available on the PPE platform, including rear-wheel steering, height-adjustable air suspension, independently adjustable two-valve shock absorbers, an electronically locking Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus rear differential, and a "performance rear axle" with the rear electric motor located behind the rear axle, in a nod to the 911 sports car's engine placement. This arrangement is expected to optimize launch grip and overall traction thanks to a front-rear weight distribution of 48:52 percent. Interestingly, it looks like the Macan EV will forego the Taycan's two-speed transmission on the rear axle in favor of a simpler single-speed arrangement on both motors.
Range, Charging, And Battery Life
There's no word on the battery capacities of the lower trims, but the biggest battery size in the Macan EV should be around 100 kWh, up from the current Taycan's available 93.4-kWh battery. While only 83.7 kWh of the Taycan's battery is usable capacity, as much as 96-98 kWh of the Macan EV's battery is rumored to be usable.
The battery is said to be made up of 12 battery modules containing prismatic lithium-ion NCM cells that contain less than ten percent of the rare elements manganese and cobalt. Porsche is targeting a range of at least 300 miles on most derivatives, a number it needs to hit to remain competitive at the current state of the EV art. Porsche has already confirmed that the Macan EV's range will be more than that of the Taycan, which maxes out at 246 miles. On a positive note, Porsches tend to substantially overperform in terms of range. A real-world range of over 300 miles according to the EPA standard should theoretically be possible and, if Porsche remains true to form, owners should be able to improve on that.
The great news is that the 800-volt electrical architecture means that the Macan EV will be compatible with 270-kW chargers and that charging rates of up to 350 kW should be possible, which will partly alleviate having to charge a bit more often. At that rate, a 100-kWh battery can be charged from five to 80 percent in around 25 minutes, or around 186 miles can be added in around ten minutes. An 11-kW AC charger is expected to ship as standard, with a 22-kW charger optional.
Porsche Macan EV Interior And Cargo
At the end of last year, we managed to capture a few spy shots of the disguised Porsche Macan EV's interior as Porsche engineers put it through its paces on the Nurburgring. A familiar Porsche steering wheel was fitted and several parts look to have been lifted from the Taycan, such as the instantly familiar rotary dial. The power button is located on the left, in a nod to the 911 once again, which has its ignition switch on the left. The Sport Chrono package will again be offered with its center-mounted dial, likely standard on top trims and optional on others. There will be at least three digital screens as well - a curved gauge cluster in front of the driver measuring around 16.8 inches, the large center infotainment touchscreen, and the lower screen for the HVAC controls. It remains to be seen if a passenger display will be available. The operating system should be a new Google Automotive-based system, with VW's Cariad developing a new vehicle-software architecture based on Android Automotive OS' open-source version.
One metric that should be class-leading is the trunk space of the Porsche Macan EV, and the seats should offer plenty of head- and legroom for passengers too, thanks to the dedicated EV platform liberating more interior volume. In fact, the stretch-out space inside could amount to over 40 inches for the rear occupants' legs if rumors are to be believed that the Porsche and Audi PPE twins will offer the space of a gas SUV one class above in the second row. Cargo space of over 30 cubic feet should be on the cards.