Macan to get electric overhaul
THE Porsche Macan is getting an electric makeover. The Porsche SUV will be converted into a batterypowered model, the Volkswagen Group luxury brand announced this week.
The electric Macan will follow the brand’s introduction of the Porsche
Taycan electric sports car, which will arrive in late 2019. The Taycan is a derivation of the brand’s Mission E concept car, which was billed as a direct response to Tesla’s luxury cars.
Production of the electric Macan ‘‘will begin early in the next decade’’ at a plant in Germany, Porsche said. It will share its platform with its sibling luxury brand, Audi.
The move is a big risk for Porsche because the Macan is its most popular model. Sales rose 9.7% to 23,504 vehicles in 2018, more than doubling sales of Porsche’s secondbestseller.
The brand will continue to offer petrolpowered cars, but the Macan will be available only as an electric model.
‘‘Electromobility and Porsche go together perfectly; not just because they share a highefficiency approach, but especially because of their sporty character,’’ Porsche chairman Oliver Blume said in a statement.
Launched in the US in 2015, the Macan is a small crossover that has enabled Porsche to ride the SUV wave while maintaining its faithful fan base.
The most recent model was priced between $NZ113,600 and $NZ184,300, according to Porsche. Pricing, styling and battery range for the electric version were not released. — TCA