‘Tis the time of electric-powered SUVs — next month we’ll see Jaguar release its much-anticipated I-Pace (because it’s actually launching locally), and Mercedes-Benz is launching its EQC electric vehicle (EV) in the second half of 2019. Now Porsche wants to turn its Macan SUV into an EV following the introduction of its first EVs, the Taycan and its crossover cousin, the Cross Turismo.
Porsche will start production of the Macan EV within the next five years, and will be building the vehicle at its production warehouse in Leipzig, Germany — the same factory where the current petrol version of the Macan is manufactured.
The fully-electric Macan SUV will feature 800-volt architecture, just like the Taycan. That’ll allow for 350kW charging capability, which means you’ll get around 96km off a four-minute charge. That’s… pretty impressive. Even if we don’t know the full range capabilities of the EV yet, managing a couple of round trips to the office for less than five minutes’ charging is noteworthy.
“Electromobility and Porsche go together perfectly; not just because they share a high-efficiency approach, but especially because of their sporty character,” says Porsche AG board chairman Oliver Blume.
The electric Macan is planned for pretty far into the future, so we don’t know when it’ll be available in South Africa. We certainly hope so, but since the Taycan is only shipping in 2019, we’ve got some time to save for the Macan. The petrol version starts at R850,000 so snagging the EV should only take us a few… hundred… years?