12:02 13-07-2026
Porsche's New SUV Instead of Macan: Audi Q5 Platform, All-Wheel Drive and an 8-Speed Automatic
Porsche is testing a compact combustion SUV due in 2028, built on the Audi Q5's PPC platform, after gas Macan sales beat the EV in H1 2026.
Porsche appears to be correcting course after pushing the Macan into an all-electric format too abruptly. Spy photos circulating online show the brand already testing four mules of a new SUV: it’s due in 2028, won’t carry the Macan name, and is meant to bring back something that disappeared from the European lineup — a compact, sporty Porsche crossover with a combustion engine.
The reason is visible in the numbers. In the first half of 2026, Porsche delivered 35,315 Macans, with 15,620 going to the electric version and 19,695 to the gasoline model. That’s despite the previous-generation Macan having been off sale in Europe for roughly two years already. For Porsche, that imbalance stings: the brand left part of its customer base choosing between the pricier Macan EV and the larger Cayenne, when many simply wanted a compact gas-powered SUV.
The new model will be technically linked to the Audi Q5 platform, but Porsche is working to head off any “expensive Audi with a different badge” perception early. The mules already wear a widened track, and the production car is expected to differ through its own chassis tuning, adaptive suspension, twin-valve dampers, and more advanced electronics for chassis control. The test cars still carry an Audi Q5 interior for now, but that’s a placeholder.
The engines are what matter most. Gasoline versions are expected with a 3.0-liter V6, including a unit closely related to the one in the Audi SQ5, along with plug-in hybrids. One PHEV will use a four-cylinder engine, the other a six-cylinder unit being developed for the upcoming Audi RS Q5. All versions will get all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic. There won’t be a basic 2.0-liter variant: Porsche has made clear that role already belongs to the Q5.
Porsche isn’t bringing back the old Macan. It’s giving buyers back the choice not to go electric, if what they wanted all along was a Porsche running on gasoline.