PORSCHE MACAN: THE NEW NORMAL

The new Macan has a lot riding on it, not least because it's the first fully electric SUV from Porsche. Impress your friends with our handy 10 Things You Need to Know guide

- TOM FORD

1 It's not 'a' Porsche Macan, it's 'the' Porsche Macan

This is not a Porsche Macan Electric. It's not a Porsche Macan EV, or BEV, or E. This is simply the new Porsche Macan, and it is now an electric car. Which is a punchy move by Porsche. It's all very well putting out a niche, bespoke grenade like the Taycan, but when the Cayenne and Macan are your bread and butter models globally (with the Macan being Porsche's UK bestseller), going full EV early feels... bold. And yet, there are complications. We'll get to the details of the rewired Macan in a minute, but first we must address the slightly complicated birth.

2 The old Macan has been killed by hackers... then resurrected by Brexit

Petrol powered Macans are going off sale in Europe on 1 July this year, but not because they fail to meet any particular emission standard, or because Porsche is being preemptive. It's because they fail to meet new EU cybersecurity rules that came into force after the current crop was designed. Interestingly, Porsche will continue to sell petrol Macans in the UK for "at least the rest of 2024", because Brexit allows for more loopholes than a knitting club. So the new, fully electrified Macan has arrived alongside the existing four- and six-cylinder petrols looking fresh, sporting the upgraded bytes and ready to try and convince people.

3 The new Macan isn't just the old Macan with batteries stuffed into it