The New Porsche Macan EV – Good News or Bad Timing?

The Porsche Macan EV is here! We’ve been waiting for Porsche’s next EV for a little while, but is it good news, or bad timing?

First, think back to 2019/2020, the world of electric cars was about to change dramatically with the first big Marque dropping a performance EV. The Porsche Taycan is released to the world, and even with the £80,000+ price tag, orders piled in. In 2020 Porsche reported a delivery of 20,000 Taycan orders, that’s with the pandemic and parts shortages due to the war in Ukraine – to put that in perspective, they sold 21,000+ 718 models in the same period…

It’s safe to say the Taycan was a success. initially, so Porsche was always going to flesh out their lineup with more electric vehicles. The new Macan 4 and Turbo electric models are here, so let’s take a look.

Let’s take a look at the Macan EV up close

Well, it certainly looks electric, the unmistakable flat face of an EV is a little inescapable it seems, but it certainly doesn’t take away from the looks here. You can see multiple nods to the Taycan and the new design language from the new Cayenne, which probably points to an EV version of the Cayenne being the next in line.

I’ve always preferred the looks of the Macan over the Cayenne, it has this sort of Bullish quality to it, like a little Bulldog with 400+ BHP strapped to it. The Ev doesn’t stray from this with two powertrains available, with the 4 offering 408ps and the ‘Turbo’ at 639ps, some serious figures for a little SUV under £100,000.

The interior has had an upgrade too, bringing in the 3-screen dashboard that first appeared in the Taycan – I will give Porsche points here, the climate controls aren’t on the big screen and have a separate section with physical buttons, so much better than having everything stuffed into a huge screen!

As you’d expect with a Porsche, everything feels extremely well put together, with premium materials and snappy technology. The height adjustment in the seat allows you to have as sporty of an experience as you’d like too, still having a more relaxed feel if that’s what you’d prefer.

The styling of the Macan Ev has been a bit divisive with some, I can sort of see why, Porsche has started to come away from their usual smooth and curvy designs of late, leaning towards the more angular feel that most manufacturers seem to have now so it does feel a little less unique (the 911 GT3 RS, because that car is beautiful). But with the number of cars Porsche is selling every year to returning customers, I doubt this is going to make a dent in their profits. In our experience, Porsche customers tend to stay hooked on the brand, they may buy a 911, then when they need a family car a Macan or Cayenne is a common choice, they essentially become Porsche households.

Is it badly timed?

Releasing the Macan EV in 2024 was clearly carefully planned by Porsche, but unfortunately, the market for EVs has dropped significantly. The government in the UK have recently pushed the EV-only legislation back 5 years to 2035 due to ‘low demand for EVs’, multiple manufacturers are now also saying they are going to be pushing on with ICE production for as long as possible – for example, Aston Martin has just released a new V12 engine, their most powerful one to date for a production car, alongside more powerful V8s for their lineup. Lamborghini has added hybrid powertrains to their brand new V12 and V8 engines, which yes, do improve emissions to meet legislation, but also add a bunch of extra power to make some seriously scary BHP numbers.

As of June 2024, electric vehicle prices have taken possibly their biggest hit to date, with a reasonable mileage 70 plate Taycan 4S available for around £45,000 – these started at £83,000 in 2019, but more realistically you were looking at £90,000+ if you wanted to add any spec to it. This drop is partly due to the market, and partly due to the impressive numbers that were produced, so dealers are overflowing with Taycan products – for example, our local Porsche Centre in Leeds (at the time of writing) has 24 used Taycan for sale, compared to 10 Cayenne and 9 Macan, their two most popular models…

Customer deliveries for the Macan EV are already taking place so clearly all of the pre-orders will not affect Porsche’s figures yet, once those are gone though, I’m not sure if the state of the EV market right now, and the perceived residuals of the Taycan, might pop a seed of doubt into a potential buyer’s mind. Who knows though, this could be Porsche’s most popular model in the next year, and I will be eating my words.

So, is the electric vehicle market dying?

Not necessarily no. What it looks like to me, is the market has started to settle and find its audience, the EV has become more of a purchase dictated by where you live, how far you travel and the charging infrastructure in your area. It’s a mode of A to B Transport for most, and once the novelty of the silly acceleration speeds has worn off, I think that’s all I would see it as too. Owning an EV has become more of a lifestyle choice.

There is a good side to this though, you can pick up a used EV pretty cheaply now as their values tumble from new, give it a year or two, let the manufacturers update and fix known bugs and issues, and jump in once they residual value has dropped for a possible bargain!

If you’re looking to pounce on a used EV while their values have dropped, or any car for that matter, head to our calculator for accurate quotes in just a few taps!

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