THE electric era is dawning faster than expected, with Porsche announcing its next generation of the Macan will be fully electric – with more models to follow.
It will be the brand’s first all-electric compact SUV, and is due to roll off the assembly line in Leipzig at the start of the next decade.
The plant itself is undergoing a multi-million dollar change to handle the change of direction.
“Electromobility and Porsche go together perfectly,” Porsche chairman Oliver Blume said.
“Not just because they share a high-efficiency approach, but especially because of their sporty character.
“By 2022 we will be investing more than six billion euros (about $9.5billion) in electric mobility, and by 2025 50 per cent of all new Porsche vehicles could have an electric drive system.
“In next 10 years we will focus on a drive mix consisting of even further optimised petrol engines, plug-in hybrid models, and purely electrically-operated sports cars.
“Our aim is to take a pioneering role in technology, and we will continue to align the company with the mobility of the future.”
The decision to build the next generation of the Macan at the company’s Leipzig site was taken in July, last year.
Like the Taycan, the Macan compact SUV features 800-volt technology and is based on the Porsche PPE architecture (Premium Platform Electric) developed in collaboration with Audi.
The Taycan will be the first purely electrically driven sports car from Porsche and will be launched at the end of 2019, followed soon after by its derivative, the Taycan Cross Turismo.
