The new pioneer: Why the next Porsche Macan will do for electric cars what the Cayenne did for SUVs | Opinion

Argue as you might, but electric cars are going to be the dominant force in new car sales worldwide. Like the SUV once did, the EV will gradually become more common until it’s a normal part of our traffic landscape.

Think back to the turn of the century, and you’ll probably remember sedans and wagons galore, with 4x4s and hatchbacks dotting the streets.

That’s just after the late-1990s when brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, with the X5 and M-Class respectively, saw the writing on the wall and begun to explore the route of SUVs.

It didn’t take long for Porsche to follow, and soon the brand that was known for low-slung sports cars had released one of the larger passenger vehicles you were likely to see on a given day.

It took some time - in 2005 the 911 still outsold the Cayenne by more than 50 units, 470 cars to 414 - but by 2007 the Cayenne was Porsche’s most popular model in Australia.

Fast-forward a decade to 2017, three years after the smaller Porsche Macan was introduced, and the Cayenne was being outsold by a ratio of more than 2:1 by its smaller SUV sibling, with the Macan making up more than half of sales for Porsche, 2478 of its 4484 sales.

The mid-sized SUV is now the most popular category of vehicle in Australia, making up about 20 per cent of new car sales in the country for 2022 so far.

This is reflected in the brand’s global sales, too. In 2021, Porsche sold 88,362 Macans, the most of any of its models, making up 29 per cent of Porsche’s 301,915 total sales just ahead of the Cayenne, 27.5 per cent of the total with 83,071 sales.

This points to the Macan being Porsche’s most important model right now, and although Taycan has swooped in as the brand’s first full electric car, it’s outsold by the Macan by more than 2:1.

For Porsche to really dive into the electric car market, the second-generation Macan needs to nail it.

Luckily, early reports show promising signs.

The Porsche Macan will be the brand’s first to be built on the Volkswagen Premium Platform Electric (PPE) which, according to details confirmed by Porsche powertrain manager for the Macan Antoon Janssen in an interview with Autocar, allows for a quite impressive specification sheet.

The top variant of the next Macan will have as much as 450kW, with Porsche setting the benchmark for it to be ‘the sportiest in its segment’.

For reference, the top-spec Porsche Macan Turbo had 324kW before the Macan’s 2021 facelift.

Across all variants, the Macan will have a 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which could be big enough to provide more than 500km range based on how far the Taycan can travel with a 93kWh battery.

Charging speeds for the Macan, thanks to the 800-volt architecture in the PPE platform, allow charging at more than 270kW and should be convincingly competitive compared to rivals. Think fewer than 25 minutes to charge from five to 80 per cent.

The Macan will, of course, be primarily all-wheel drive, though the platform would allow rear-drive versions. The rear wheels of the Macan will also be able to assist steering with up to five degrees of movement below 80km/h.

As more details come to light, it’ll become clearer just how much of a winner the Macan will be.

Locally, Porsche might already have a sales victory on its hands if early interest is an indication.

Former Porsche Cars Australia head of public relations, Chris Jordan, told CarsGuide in March 2022 that demand was already building for the Macan EV in the same way it does for a 911 before it’s officially revealed.

“People are already coming into Porsche Centres for Macan saying ‘I have seen the buzz online about the Macan EV, I know you can’t tell me much more about it but I want you to keep me informed when it’s announced – here are my details’,” he said.

Back at HQ in Stuttgart, Porsche intends to turn its annual production capacity for the Macan, almost 90,000 cars as mentioned, to fully focus on the EV.