Research Porsche and Siemens seek synthetic fuels
When Porsche CEO
Oliver Blume
declared two years ago that there would be no more diesel in his brand, there was some discomfort in the dealer network because most European customers were leaning towards Porsche diesel SUVs.
The decision affected the Macan, despite the fact that China was its largest market, with the logical uncertainty involved in completely changing a model that sold 600,000 units of its first generation and always with healthy profit margins.
The risk of again creating internal discontent and in many customers if it was confirmed that the future Macan would only have
a 100% electric version
motivated an adjustment of the strategy: the current Macan will remain in the Porsche portfolio
until the middle of this decade
, with a few touches on the exterior design and a new generation of operating system on the interior, so you can remain commercially competitive.
"
In Europe the demand for electric cars is increasing exponentially
, but in other regions of the world, this growth will necessarily be more moderate", explains the member of the management of Porsche
Michael Steiner
to justify why the current Macan
"is being visually renewed, functionally and also with improvements to its conventional engines
.
"
What changes least is the exterior design
, with slight touches to the nose of the compact SUV (in black), a new diffuser at the rear and dynamic LED headlights as standard on all three versions of this model.
Inside, the evolution is much more significant, with the
debut of a new generation infotainment system
: most of the physical controls have given way to touch controls on the new 10.9 "central screen with a new operating system. and this new center console is completed by a
new gear selector
(always the PDK seven-speed automatic with dual clutch). The multifunctional and sportier steering wheel is also new (on
loan
from the new 911), but
Porsche stayed behind. halfway through this dashboard makeover by deciding to keep the analog instrumentation in front of the driver's eyes
.
Engines get better performance
Mechanically there are interesting evolutions. The small 2-liter four-cylinder (preferred in the Chinese market) receives an additional 20 hp and 30 Nm, for a
maximum power of 265 hp and 400 Nm, crucial for the sprint from 0 to 100 km / h to be carried out in 6, 2 s
and the top speed reaches 232 km / h (compared to 6.7 s and 225 km / h in the previous generation). One step higher, the
Macan S
has a greater power increase (26 hp), for a total of 380 hp and the same 480 Nm as before, cutting 0.7 s in acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h (from 5.3 to 4.6 s) and raising the maximum speed from 254 to 259 km / h.
Finally,
the GTS increases its maximum power by 60 hp
, going from 380 to 440, which will allow it to make up for the lack of the Macan Turbo version that ceases to exist (but which, even so, will continue to have
difficulties fighting with rivals such as the BMW X3 / X4 M and Mercedes AMG GLC 63, which are above 500 hp of maximum power
). The GTS will be able to shoot up to 100 km / h in 4.3 s (previously 4.9) and continue up to 272 km / h (261 previously).
The top version has air suspension as standard
, which reduces ground clearance by 10 mm and increases its stiffness (10% on the front axle and 15% on the rear).
All Macans have all-wheel drive and, with the exception of the most affordable model, variable damping control at each wheel
(PASM).
The GTS can even get sportier and more efficient with the
Sport package that includes 21 "wheels
with sportier tires, a Porsche Plus torque vectoring system and a Sport Chrono package.
Electrical under development
In October we will have the upgraded generation of the Macan on our roads, while
dynamic testing of the future all-electric model
is also underway
. After the first development sessions, they were held at the
Weissach
test circuit
(Porsche's headquarters) and in June the first trips to public asphalt began, with the SUVs duly camouflaged:
"The time to start the tests in a real environment is one of the most important of the whole development "
, assures Steiner. To the countless kilometers "made" by computer simulation, the electric Macan will add some three million actual kilometers
when it is launched on the market in 2023
.
Work has been going on on the
PPE electric platform
for quite some time. "We started about four years ago with computer-based aerodynamics studies," reveals
Thomas Wiegand, head of aerodynamic development
. As in all electric cars, aerodynamics are particularly important, as even the smallest improvements in airflow can produce good results.
But not only the aerodynamics or the first thousands of kilometers were performed on powerful computers. In addition,
the instrumentation and the center screen were developed purely virtual and then installed on the first dashboards
. "The simulation allows us to evaluate the displays, operational processes and overall system response even before the dashboard is ready and we put it all in the hands of a test engineer on the vehicle," explains
Fabian Klausmann
from the Experiences department. Driving Porsche.
Steiner prefers to point out that
"like the Taycan, the electric Macan will have typical Porsche performance thanks to its 800-volt architecture, which means adequate range for long trips, high-performance fast charging and very high dynamic performance
.
"
At the same time, it leaves the promise that it will be the sportiest model in its segment, contrary to what happens in the current range with gasoline engines in view of the well-equipped German competition.
The electric propulsion system (from the battery to the engine) requires a
sophisticated concept of cooling and temperature control
, very different from what happens in cars with combustion engines.
While these have an ideal operating temperature between 90 and 120 degrees, in electric propulsion the various main components (electronics, battery, etc.) "get along better" with milder temperatures, between 20 and 70 degrees (depending on the component). .
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