Can the Macan retain its prized driver’s SUV status in electric guise?
The range-topping 630bhp Porsche Macan Turbo Electric has a lot to prove.It needs to demonstrate that it’s a real Porsche, for one, as well as show that it is distinct from its Audi Q6 E-tron sibling.Throughout its history, Porsche has been an expert at taking platforms and components from the wider Volkswagen and Audi family and imbuing them with a certain magic that no one else can replicate. The original Porsche, the 356, has its roots in the Beetle, and the Porsche 968 Clubsport goes back to the 924, which was intended as a VW with an Audi-derived engine.One of Zuffenhausen’s biggest commercial successes, the Macan, was loosely based on the Audi Q5 but reached heights of driver appeal the latter car could only dream of.For the new Porsche Macan Electric, Porsche isn’t waiting around, and played an integral part from the start in developing the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture together with Audi.As the second-generation Macan takes over from the first with a short period of overlap in their production runs, it has quite a job on its hands. For the Macan Electric to maintain its petrol predecessor’s hard-won success will be a big challenge.