What’s New With Porsche?

Some rumblings about new models coming to the market have Porsche’s name on them. Do we know what these are and when they might arrive?

The Porsche Taycan was the first entry into the EV world for this high-performance sportscar automaker. The Taycan is a fantastic vehicle that grabbed our attention and sold out quickly. If you think of this model as the flash that it is, the next step is for Porsche to bring us electrified models of some of the more useful vehicles. This brings us to the first electrified SUV, which is scheduled for the 2024 model year.

The next Porsche EV is the Macan

The Porsche Macan is a top seller from this brand and is often thought of as the SUV version of the venerable 911 sports car. The new Macan EV is expected to be the sportiest model in its class, which isn’t a surprise coming from this incredible brand. The announcement of the new electrified SUV happened soon after the Taycan hit the road, making this EV SUV a long-awaited model. Once offered, Porsche has no intention of slowing down after the Macan EV hits the market. Another new model is expected by 2026.

Will a larger Porsche be the third EV?

A new Porsche SUV is on the way, and it’s a model that has become a bit polarizing within the company. The new Porsche SUV, code-named K1, could be in the market by 2026. It’s been described as part sedan, part crossover, and not like any other Porsche ever made. The goal for this new SUV is to be an electric SUV that’s positioned above the Cayenne while offering three rows of seats. This SUV will be aimed at the high-end segments of the market, which could put it in competition with new top-shelf luxury SUVs.

The wild success of the Taycan made this possible

The Porsche Taycan has been an incredibly successful electric sports car. Porsche recently celebrated this success with the 100,000th model heading off the production line. This new electric sports car outsold the iconic Porsche 911 last year, which says a lot for this new EV performance machine. Adding the Macan EV for 2024 allows Porsche to set a goal of selling at least 50% EVs by 2025, which is right around the corner, and then ramp up to 80% EV sales across the brand by 2030.

The new Porsche Macan EV should have the right stuff

The Porsche Macan EV rides on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which is a dedicated EV platform for the Volkswagen Group. This platform has been co-developed with Audi, which will also be used in upcoming EVs. The PPE platform allows Porsche to use an 800-volt electrical system and 100-kWh battery packs. This should be the right size to give the Macan EV the desired range and performance to be an excellent choice for those looking for a sporty SUV that can be used every day.

How much power should the new Macan EV offer?

Using this new PPE platform, the Porsche Macan EV will be offered with both RWD and AWD to give consumers the power and drive desired. Two liquid-cooled motors produce 603 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque for the AWD version. This high-performance SUV will also benefit from the use of silicon carbide semiconductors, which is better for high-power vehicles than the standard silicon models.

Interestingly, the rear motor won’t be mounted directly to the rear axle. Instead, it will reside behind the rear axle, much the same as the engine in the Porsche 911. This creates what Porsche calls the Performance Rear Axle and allows the Macan EV to offer a 48:52 weight balance front to rear.

This new Porsche Macan EV will allow fast charging to take the batteries from five to 80 percent in less than 25 minutes at properly equipped DC fast charging locations.

Does this new electric Macan have any tricks up its sleeves?

To save space, Porsche is packaging the onboard AC charger, high-voltage heater, and AC/DC converter together in a single unit called the Integrated Power Box. Porsche also developed a cool charging trick they call “bank charging.” There are two banks of batteries in the Macan EV, and if the charging station only offers a 400-volt system, the Macan EV can split-charge the banks at 400 volts each instead of the max of 800 volts. This allows for the most efficient charging of this new electric SUV. Thankfully, most drivers in the United States won’t have to use the bank charging feature because most DC fast chargers employ 800-volt capabilities.

The new Macan EV improves handling and precision driving with its suspension setup. The front suspension uses an unequal-length control arm and a multi-link rear setup attached to the body by an elastically mounted sub-frame. The rear motor is directly connected to the body structure at four points. This setup allows for incredible driving precision in this sporty SUV.

The Macan EV offers some differences in the power system compared to the Taycan

In addition to a different semiconductor material, the magnet arrangement within the motors and an improved cooling system allow the Macan EV to have a much better power density than the Taycan. This new Porsche electric SUV also employs a single-speed gearbox instead of the two-speed model found in the Taycan.

The Macan EV has some classic Porsche qualities

This new electric Porsche SUV brings the classic qualities of the Porsche Active Suspension Management system. This feature is offered with both suspension setups, giving this SUV some incredible performance. The Macan EV will ride on 22-inch wheels, which are pretty big for the size of this SUV, but perfect for what Porsche offers in this new model.

Will you drive the new Porsche Macan EV? Porsche expects this SUV to be a top-selling model for the brand, which it has been for several years. This new version offers excellent power, incredible driving performance, and a great size to be useful, fun, active, and energetic on every road. It’s everything you expect in a Porsche.