Porsche gives Ars a look inside its next EV: the all-electric Macan

Enlarge / Porsche's all-electric Macan is almost on sale. (credit: Porsche)

LEIPZIG, Germany—The Porsche Macan has carved out a rather solid reputation for itself over the years, bringing hot hatch-like driving fun to the premium midsize crossover segment. Next year there's an all-new Macan, an entirely electric one that makes use of a new EV platform shared with corporate sibling Audi. Earlier this summer we spent a few hours driving prototype Macan EVs around Los Angeles, but at the time Porsche was being tight-lipped in terms of technical details. Now, on a visit to the factory in Germany where the cars will be made, we've learned a little more.

PPE

The new Macan is one of the first EVs to utilize Premium Platform Electric, which Porsche is developing together with Audi. Other PPE-based EVs due in the near future include the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV, A6 e-tron sedan, and maybe even a station wagon, and if you click some of those links you'll find deadlines that have come and gone sometime in the past.

That's because development of PPE hasn't gone quite as smoothly as everyone at Volkswagen Group would have hoped. A significant factor in that has been software-related trouble at CARIAD, VW Group's new software division. But the first PPE cars are headed to market soon, and in the case of the Macan, with more than 1.8 million miles (3 million km) of testing under its tires.