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For the primary time in its historical past, Porsche might ship extra energy to the entrance wheels of a brand new mannequin when it launches the belated successor for its authentic inner combustion engined (ICE) Macan.
In keeping with Autocar, the substitute for the combustion-powered Macan, codenamed ‘M1’, will share its Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) underpinnings with the brand new, third-generation Audi Q5 that’s attributable to arrive in Australia by the tip of 2025.
Each Porsche and Audi are a part of the broader Volkswagen Group, and Porsche has confirmed it’s growing a newly named mid-size (Macan-size) SUV to be offered alongside the all-electric second-generation Macan, powered by petrol and hybrid engines. Will probably be launched in 2028.
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Whereas the unique Macan shared its MLB platform with the first-generation Q5 however got here commonplace with a closely reworked, rear-biassed model of its ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive system, Autocar reviews the substitute for the ICE Macan will make use of the brand new Q5’s front-biassed ‘quattro extremely’ AWD system to scale back improvement prices.
Marking a big change in engineering philosophy for the hallowed German efficiency automotive model – and a departure from the Porsche Traction Administration (PTM) branded AWD techniques utilized by numerous fashions together with the 911 sports activities automotive and the battery-electric Macan – the brand new SUV would be the first manufacturing since Porsche started making automobiles in 1931 to persistently ship extra drive to the entrance axle than the rear.
In a reversal of the earlier Macan, the entrance wheels would be the default driving wheels and the rear wheels will solely present drive when the AWD system detects a lack of traction.
Rear-wheel drive has lengthy been the favoured format for sports activities automobiles just like the 911, with high-performance variations and Porsche SUVs providing all-wheel drive techniques like PTM, which is tuned to mix the traction advantages of AWD with the dealing with and energy supply of a rear-drive car.
Sarcastically, Porsche’s personal archives hint the roots of PTM again to the 12 months 1900, when firm founder Ferdinand Porsche fitted electrical hub motors to the entrance wheels of a race automotive.
“Our enterprise mannequin, which has served us properly for a lot of a long time, not works in its present kind,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume reportedly instructed staff in July, laying the bottom for cost-cutting throughout the corporate.
The associated fee discount drive comes as Porsche appears to be like to recuperate misplaced gross sales after it dropped the earlier ICE-powered Macan in key markets, together with Europe and Australia. Manufacturing of the present ICE Macan will finish fully in 2026, leaving Porsche with solely the electrical Macan in showrooms globally, probably for as much as two years.
Whereas the Macan was Porsche’s prime vendor within the first half of 2025, when the corporate mentioned 60 per cent of gross sales got here from the electrical mannequin, the dearth of an ICE model is ready to influence the model’s backside line considerably as soon as provide dries up.
Porsche was one among a number of automakers together with Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Honda to drag again on its electrical car (EV) gross sales targets within the earlier 12-18 months.
The German model had deliberate for 80 per cent of its world gross sales to be EVs by 2030, however in 2024 it mentioned that purpose “might take longer than we thought” to realize.
Within the meantime, it has added extra hybrids to its vary, together with the primary hybrid model of its iconic 911.
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