Photo: Kleber Silva
Tesla probably isn't worried that the Porsche Taycan will steal its thunder, but it is the start of something big, one of the spearheads of the electric car revolution in Germany. The development required a significant chunk of money and the outcome, we hope, is the first EV that feels like it truly belongs on the track.
Well, the first outside of Rimac, but you get what we're saying. Porsche has almost suddenly lost all interest in diesel engines and will eventually look to migrate all its models to electricity. This is undoubtedly the way luxury cars need to be these days, but not everybody wants something even lower and sleeker than a Panamera.
That's where the Macan steps in. Yes, the Macan. It's had a semi-troubled life, this derivative of the Audi Q5. It arrived late to the city-friendly luxury SUV market and always felt like it was lacking in a few departments, though driver engagement was never among them. The launch of a significantly revised Macan Turbo, powered by an Audi RS5 engine, is probably the last we'll hear of this model until the next generation.
Having been in production since 2014, the Macan is probably due to being replaced around 2021-2022. That's only a stone's throw away, and Porsche officials have already laid out its all-electric future. After the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo, it will become the third gas-free Porsche model, sharing the battery and charging systems with its brothers.
Rumors about a Macan EV date back to 2017, but at this point, it's not clear if this will be offered alongside conventionally-powered models. But we know it could spawn a Macan Coupe version, much like Audi has the e-tron and e-tron Sportback. Most of this will come down to China and the United States, which are the biggest markets for the Macan and Porsche in general.
What would such a car even look, well, you can check out the rendering made by Kleber Silva and tell us what you think. Of course, nobody knows what to expect, and it's probably not going to be a Macan with a face swap. But Porsche does like to have a unifying design language - just look at how much the Cayenne and Panamera have in common.
“Over the next ten years we will focus on a drive mix consisting of even further optimized petrol engines, plug-in hybrid models, and purely electrically operated sports cars,” Oliver Blume, Porsche’s chairman, said in a statement.
That's where the Macan steps in. Yes, the Macan. It's had a semi-troubled life, this derivative of the Audi Q5. It arrived late to the city-friendly luxury SUV market and always felt like it was lacking in a few departments, though driver engagement was never among them. The launch of a significantly revised Macan Turbo, powered by an Audi RS5 engine, is probably the last we'll hear of this model until the next generation.
Having been in production since 2014, the Macan is probably due to being replaced around 2021-2022. That's only a stone's throw away, and Porsche officials have already laid out its all-electric future. After the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo, it will become the third gas-free Porsche model, sharing the battery and charging systems with its brothers.
Rumors about a Macan EV date back to 2017, but at this point, it's not clear if this will be offered alongside conventionally-powered models. But we know it could spawn a Macan Coupe version, much like Audi has the e-tron and e-tron Sportback. Most of this will come down to China and the United States, which are the biggest markets for the Macan and Porsche in general.
What would such a car even look, well, you can check out the rendering made by Kleber Silva and tell us what you think. Of course, nobody knows what to expect, and it's probably not going to be a Macan with a face swap. But Porsche does like to have a unifying design language - just look at how much the Cayenne and Panamera have in common.
“Over the next ten years we will focus on a drive mix consisting of even further optimized petrol engines, plug-in hybrid models, and purely electrically operated sports cars,” Oliver Blume, Porsche’s chairman, said in a statement.
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