Porsche revealed the Macan EV on Thursday, a long-delayed project that will test buyers’ willingness to pay over $78,000 for an electric car.
The unveiling is crucial for Porsche and other automakers. Recently, demand for pricey EVs has dropped, causing several automakers to return to hybrids and cancel battery manufacturing plans.
In the second half of the year, Porsche will release the all-electric small SUV Macan EV, which is excellent for testing customer opinion. The Porsche Macan EV will compete with the best-selling gas-powered Macan and cost more.
The Porsche Macan EV will come in two models: the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo (yep, Porsche retains its history badge). The Macan 4 costs $78,800 and the Turbo $105,300, excluding the $1,650 shipping, processing, and handling charge. In contrast, the gas-powered Macan costs $62,550 to $88,450 for its most costly specification.
Porsche President and CEO North America Timo Resch sees a chance to provide customers with additional options, not a conflict.
In a recent interview with Eltrys, Resch said Porsche consumers consider their driving style and habits early on. “Do I want to do an internal combustion engine or battery electric? This then determines the direction. I think this is the way forward, and Porsche couldn’t go any other way since we always put customers, their decisions, and their product desires first.”
Bolts and nuts
Porsche has slowly revealed Macan EV characteristics since 2019, when it stated it would convert its best-selling U.S. vehicle to electric. Last year, Eltrys and other reporters drove the prototype. Porsche revealed more facts about the two Macan EVs, except battery range, at launch. The business stated that EPA range estimates will be available closer to delivery.
Porsche’s second all-electric car, the Macan EV, is the first to employ the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), developed with Audi AG to readily alter wheelbase, track width, and ground clearance.
Two variants of the all-electric SUV are available, both with electric motors on the front and rear axles powered by a 100-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack under the car.
The Macan 4, an all-electric SUV, can produce 402 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. From a stop to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, the Macan 4 can reach 136 mph.
As its name implies, the Macan Turbo produces up to 630 horsepower and 833 lb-ft. The Macan Turbo can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and reach 161 mph.
The Porsche Macan EV has rear-axle steering for the first time. Our test drive last year showed that at speeds of 50 mph or less, the rear wheels spin up to five degrees, opposing the front wheels, allowing the driver to feel the car as it turns.
Android-software
The software, which is not VW Group’s Cariad software unit’s software 1.2 platform, is another important aspect. Initial plans called for the Porsche Macan EV and Audi Q6 E-Tron software 1.2 to be finished in 2022. Cariad delayed the rollout until late 2023 to prepare for 2024 VW models when Peter Bosch took over in May. The software 1.2 platform may not be in automobiles until 2025.
Porsche was left hanging, so it went to Google. Android Automotive OS, Google’s Linux-based mobile operating system, powers the Porsche Macan EV’s infotainment system. This is different from Android Auto, an app that runs on the user’s phone and wirelessly projects navigation, parking, media, and messaging to the vehicle’s infotainment system, and Google built-in, which integrates Google services directly into the vehicle.
Porsche can develop and integrate navigation and app services using the Android Automotive OS. It supports Apple CarPlay, which projects Apple phone screens onto infotainment screens.
“The technology advantages are very obvious and can be felt by our customers immediately when they get into the car,” Timo remarked, without addressing the 1.2 software delay or whether Porsche would implement it. “When they get into the Macan electric, it looks like a very fast, very intuitive Porsche user interface because the look and feel, icons, and everything else are familiar to Porsche.”
