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Porsche (P911. DE) has nevertheless unveiled its next big bet on electric vehicles: the Macan EV.
Dubbed the “new Macan,” Porsche said it will initially come in two trims, the Macan 4 and the higher-performance Macan Turbo. The two versions will feature an all-wheel drive setup with two electric motors, producing 402 hp (Macan 4) and 640hp (Macan Turbo). A 100 kWh battery comes with both models. The EV range was not disclosed by Porsche, with EPA ratings forthcoming, but pre-production models were achieving around 300 miles on a full charge.
Porsche said the Macan EV would go on sale in the second half of the year and that Porsche would take orders starting today. Porsche indexed the MSRP for the Macan four at $78,800, while the MSRP for the Macan Turbo is $105,300, plus $1,650 delivery on either vehicle.
Read more: Is it safer to insure electric cars?
The Macan EV will be sold alongside its gas-powered sibling, the Macan, which is Porsche’s volume seller. Porsche’s other EV, the Taycan, doesn’t have a gas-powered version.
“The electric Macan is the best configuration for the future,” said Timo Resch, new president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, in a small panel discussion with journalists.
“The existing [Macan] on the market still works great,” Resch said, but it turns out that Porsche consumers were also looking for an EV version, even if the momentum in EV sales is starting to falter slightly.
Resch said Porsche has hosted clinics with a long-standing visitor base, adding that they have gotten “extremely” response.
This is good news for the German luxury brand, as the Macan EV is a flagship model from Porsche. The regular Macan is the best-selling in Porsche’s portfolio here in the US, and any misstep would be devastating for a company that relies heavily on sales of its SUVs like the Macan and Cayenne. Nearly 62% of all Porsches sold in the U. S. were SUVs last year.
One hiccup for the Macan EV’s rollout was bugs in its software, which Volkswagen subsidiary Cariad was working on for Porsche and Audi vehicles. Software issues led to the Macan EV’s delay of nearly half of a year and was one of the reasons for VW CEO Herbert Diess’s dismissal in 2022.
With the prestige of the Cariad’s software somewhat in limbo, Porsche uses Google’s Android Automotive operating formula to force infotainment functions, such as music, navigation and Google Assistant. Android Automotive’s operating formula runs natively in the car and doesn’t require the use of a smartphone, Apple CarPlay supports this setup.
“We’re very positive and confident that all of those things are in place,” Resch said of the Macan EV’s Android infotainment formula, adding that the look and feel of the formula is “at the next level. “any major points or updates about Cariad or the most recent edition of its software, other than the Cariad team that is still running it.
Although the Macan EV may not be available in showrooms anytime soon, Porsche’s sales momentum has continued so far in 2024, despite the lack of new models.
The start of the year was “very positive” Resch said, with high demand even in the first few days of January, typically a slow time for the industry.
And despite considerations about EV sales in the U. S. , there is still a lot of talk about EV sales. In the U. S. , Porsche saw a surge in sales of Taycan electric vehicles last year, and Resch and Porsche expect that strength to continue in 2024.
“I’m very positive about the momentum we’re seeing with Porsche EVs,” Resch said, adding that he expects demand for the Macan EV to outstrip supply first.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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