As with many upcoming car releases, images of the 2022 Porsche Macan EV have been unintentionally released ahead of its official launch. The new Macan will be the second EV Porsche will release, after the much-praised Taycan.

It is commonly-known that the new look of the Porsche Macan will include a smoother front end, as is the trend with EVs, and narrow headlights. We can draw similarities with the Taycan design philosophy here and some of the previous spy shots also indicating a body shape looking more like a coupe than the original Macan.

One of the reasons for this change in body shape could well be that both the current generation and new generation of Macan will get sold alongside each other for some time, giving customers the choice between a pure-electric drivetrain or the 4 and 6 cylinder petrol engines currently on offer.

UPDATED OCTOBER 2022: The Porsche Macan EV will start production in 2024 but September 2022 brought us new spy shots of this upcoming electric crossover - we also take a look at the latest competition it will face in the changing car world.

The Performance Of The Porsche Macan EV

Porsche Macan EV test mule, front, leaving factory
Via: Porsche

Given the release date is still some two years away, the precise technical specifications are gray, but Porsche has signaled that it will get equipped with the same 800V charging technology as the current Taycan, suggesting at least an equal range to the Taycan and perhaps a top of the line model with a 300+ mile range if the SUV body shape can accommodate additional batteries under the floor.

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As in the current Taycan, we can expect that the new Macan will ger offered with differing power outputs, alongside shorter and longer range models with differing battery packs. In addition, it is also presumed that the option of rear-wheel or four-wheel-drive models will get offered, with that being achieved through an additional electric motor on the front axle. The most powerful version could potentially boast around 700 hp and 750 lb-ft, although Porsche will be keen to make sure it doesn't surpass the performance of the Taycan.

Either way, Porsche has said that the car will boast 'best in class performance' and become 'the sportiest model in its segment'.

The precision that having a motor on each axle affords should help with handling, despite the weight of the batteries and body shape and for the same reason, we can expect the Macan EV to work very well off-road as well.

Redesigning The 2024 Porsche Macan EV

Porsche Macan EV test mule, rear trunk, batteries
Via: Porsche

The Macan has been a very successful addition to Porsche's lineup, with over 100,000 models sold in 2019 alone, and this trend is continuing as the numbers for deliveries in 2022 are equally impressive: Porsche says for the first half of 2022, 38,000 Porsche Macan crossovers got delivered - more than even the Audi Q5 compact crossover.

Clearly, Porsche is not afraid to move with the times with a radical redesign after only one generation.

The head of R&D, Dr. Michael Steiner stated in a recent interview, "It is an obligation for us, at Porsche, to think about and work on sporty answers to electric cars. The electric Macan will use a new electric platform, not a derivative. It got developed jointly with Audi and is called the PPE. Knowing that there is not a lot of speed in the transition from ICE to electric, we are preparing to have both paths running in parallel."

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The new Macan will be the first car in the Volkswagen Group to use the new 'Premium Platform Electric' (PPE) chassis which will get shared with Audi (starting with the upcoming Audi Q6 e-Tron).

This got confirmed by Dr. Steiner in the same interview, "PPE is totally different from the Taycan’s [J1 platform]. That is designed for cars sitting low, the PPE for the Macan is designed for high-floor cars, so there could be derivatives in the range of SUVs.”

Fast-forward to the last quarter of 2022 and electric crossovers are taking off, with premium crossovers like the Macan and its rivals all set to inherit electric powertrains.

Tesla's Model Y, the Audi Q4 e-Tron, and the Mercedes-Benz EQC are all capable, premium electric crossovers with which the Macan EV will compete - although the Porsche brand is arguably distinct to those brands it has its work cut out in this segment.