Porsche’s mysterious new concept car to showcase a new electric model, and no, it’s not the SUV…
Porsche’s electrification journey has been one of the more consequential in the industry, with the highly regarded (and successful) Taycan rewriting the EV rulebook with its impressive handling and distinct Porsche feel. It lit the way forward in the same way the Cayenne once did for it at the turn of the century, in doing so redefining what the brand could be outside the traditional sports car. Yet beyond the Taycan, where will Porsche’s electric journey take it? Come the IAA Munich motor show, Porsche will give us a glimpse at what this journey might look like with a new concept.
While we know few specifics about the new concept, we can say that it’s unlikely to be a preview of the new electric SUV Porsche has in the pipeline. Like the combustion-powered Macan, it’ll share underpinnings with an Audi equivalent, this time running on a new platform called PPE that has been co-developed between the two brands.
With full body-on testing underway, the new electric SUV (that may or may not be called Macan) will arrive to fulfill that key market, but there’s reason to believe that this new concept will be something rather more interesting. This is due to two reasons, the first being the actual teased image which clearly shows a very different headlight arrangement to the one being tested on the SUV. Advertisement
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But the more compelling reason is Porsche’s suggestion that this model will feature a much more direct link to motorsport, making this concept likely to be something more akin to a sports or supercar. This isn’t out of line with Porsche’s future model plan either, with confirmation that it is already in development of a new electric hypercar that will arrive in the second half of this decade. There’s also the small matter of its new endurance racer in the LMDh class, which Porsche will be keen to connect to its electric roadcar development.
As a showcase of technological progress, Porsche has used the hypercar format many times before, with the 959, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder all acting as a halo model for the brand. As well as glamorous bedroom wall poster types of supercars, these Porsche supercars have always either introduced new technology then often cycled into the wider model range as it matures, or in the case of the Carrera GT been one that brings racing technology to the road.
So will this be a preview of a new EV supercar? We’ll have to wait until early September to find out, but given the increasing momentum of the march towards electrification, we wouldn’t bet against it.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
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