From an engineering point of view, the Macan is but an insignificant speck on Porsche's reputation, a blemish the shape of the Audi Q5 and weighing an un-sportscar-like near 2 tons. Thing is, it's about as crucial for them as electricity to a lightbulb.
Think of Porsche and cars like the 918 Spyder, the 911 Turbo S or the GT2 come to mind, together with a barrage of motorsport legends. As an engineering company then, Stuttgart's prancing horse is unmatched. But they're also a money-making machine, a company that gets more profit per sale than anybody else in the industry.
With its sense of security, its more attractive prices and better fuel economy, the Macan is thus a very important Stuttgart resident, much more so than any new sportscar variant or track-special fire hazard. And since diversity is always the key to selling more luxury vehicles, we though we'd take a look at a version Porsche might need to develop in the near future.
Following the lead set by the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid and the similarly electrified Cayenne that's about to debut later this year, Porsche could make a Macan S E-Hybrid and market it very successfully, especially since the technology, the money, the will and the market all exist already.
Let's start the analysis by examining the tech. The Panamera S E-Hybrid is actually an improved version of the old S Hybrid, which had a less electric range and could not be recharged. The Macan has no predecessor, but Audi has already laid the groundwork with the Q5 Hybrid, the reclusive second-cousin twice removed of the TDI Clean Diesel very few people know about.
Supposedly offering the power of a V6, its 2.0 TFSI+electric motor combo pack could be improved with a much newer and more powerful battery pack, an external charging system and especially the shiny new third-gen EA888 turbo-four. This brings new fuel-sipping tech like a two-stage variable-valve-lift setup, direct and port injection, a separate cooling system for the aluminum head and water-cooled manifold which makes the air reaching the turbo denser.
What you shouldn't expect from a Macan hybrid is off-road performance. SUV are rarely used outside the city and hybrids are rarely used as sportscars, even though they're marketed this way. Porsche has taken torque vectoring out of the electric Panamera equation, making less of a driver's car and more of a "let's see how much we can stay in EV mode" kind of car.
But by far it's biggest asset would be the price. With a smaller, less complicated engine and lesser underpinnings, it could shame the equivalent Cayenne by €20,000 or more. Even though they've gone mainstream, green cars are well out of the reach of the average buyer. Of course, no Porsche will ever be what you'd call cheap, but it would give them access to the vulnerable underbelly of the market, in the same ballpark as a well-equipped Lexus IS 300h.
Of course, anything we say and believe has no value unless big boss Winterkorn gives it the go-ahead. But he's probably on the same page, since it's the CEO's plan to turn VW Group into the biggest electric mobility conglomerate out there. So how about it sir, does the Macan S E-Hybrid fit into the big picture?
With its sense of security, its more attractive prices and better fuel economy, the Macan is thus a very important Stuttgart resident, much more so than any new sportscar variant or track-special fire hazard. And since diversity is always the key to selling more luxury vehicles, we though we'd take a look at a version Porsche might need to develop in the near future.
Following the lead set by the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid and the similarly electrified Cayenne that's about to debut later this year, Porsche could make a Macan S E-Hybrid and market it very successfully, especially since the technology, the money, the will and the market all exist already.
Let's start the analysis by examining the tech. The Panamera S E-Hybrid is actually an improved version of the old S Hybrid, which had a less electric range and could not be recharged. The Macan has no predecessor, but Audi has already laid the groundwork with the Q5 Hybrid, the reclusive second-cousin twice removed of the TDI Clean Diesel very few people know about.
Supposedly offering the power of a V6, its 2.0 TFSI+electric motor combo pack could be improved with a much newer and more powerful battery pack, an external charging system and especially the shiny new third-gen EA888 turbo-four. This brings new fuel-sipping tech like a two-stage variable-valve-lift setup, direct and port injection, a separate cooling system for the aluminum head and water-cooled manifold which makes the air reaching the turbo denser.
What you shouldn't expect from a Macan hybrid is off-road performance. SUV are rarely used outside the city and hybrids are rarely used as sportscars, even though they're marketed this way. Porsche has taken torque vectoring out of the electric Panamera equation, making less of a driver's car and more of a "let's see how much we can stay in EV mode" kind of car.
Is there a market for such a car?
Oh yes, most definitely! EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids are more popular than ever. No-longer pushed into a corner as reclusive standalone models like the Prius, they're being adopted into the engine ranges of regular models, like the Toyota Yaris or the VW Golf. Porsche would also have no problem pushing the Macan S E-Hybrid as a performance model either. Based on the Q5 Hybrid numbers, this could have about 280 hp for a 0 to 100 km/h time of about 6 seconds.But by far it's biggest asset would be the price. With a smaller, less complicated engine and lesser underpinnings, it could shame the equivalent Cayenne by €20,000 or more. Even though they've gone mainstream, green cars are well out of the reach of the average buyer. Of course, no Porsche will ever be what you'd call cheap, but it would give them access to the vulnerable underbelly of the market, in the same ballpark as a well-equipped Lexus IS 300h.
Of course, anything we say and believe has no value unless big boss Winterkorn gives it the go-ahead. But he's probably on the same page, since it's the CEO's plan to turn VW Group into the biggest electric mobility conglomerate out there. So how about it sir, does the Macan S E-Hybrid fit into the big picture?
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