Porsche’s U-turn on an electric-heavy model rollout is closer to becoming reality, with an alleged test mule for the new petrol-powered Macan spied in Europe.
Despite Porsche launching the second-generation Macan as an electric vehicle (EV), reports from Europe last month claimed the popular nameplate would continue to be offered with petrol power.
UK publication Autocar reported the new petrol-powered Macan would be based on the new Audi Q5, which was recently brought into its third generation on the Volkswagen Group’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture.
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Our European spy photographers captured a camouflaged Q5 testing in cold weather conditions, a curiosity given the SUV has already been revealed.
However, being surrounded by electric Porsche products such as the Macan and Cayenne – as well as the petrol 911 – suggests this Audi is being used as a test mule for the Stuttgart marque to assess before fully committing to the Macan backtrack.
While the PPC architecture is currently exclusive to Audi, the Q5 and Macan have traditionally been closely related under the skin.
Likewise, the Q6 e-tron – an electric alternative to the Q5 – is based on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Macan EV.
Should the Macan adopt the underpinnings of the Q5, it could be offered with a choice of turbocharged engines, ranging from 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, a 3.0-litre V6 petrol and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel – all with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.
The internal combustion-powered Macan was axed from European showrooms in April 2024 as it no longer complied with strict cybersecurity laws, with the cost of conforming to the regulations potentially resulting in huge investments in the 10-year-old model.
This impacted Australia too, with production of the locally delivered Macan wrapping up at the same time as Europe. The Macan has recently accounted for almost half of all Porsche sales in Australia.
Earlier this week, Automotive News reported Porsche will take a US$831 million (A$1.33 billion) hit as a result of making a U-turn on its EV plans, as well as the costs associated with expanding its product portfolio with more combustion engine and plug-in hybrid models.
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