Porsche Macan EV embraces Taycan styling cues

Porsche's best-selling model, the Macan compact crossover, will get a full-electric version as early as the second half of 2023.

Spy shots of the battery-electric Macan undergoing winter testing reveal a headlight design inspired by Porsche's Taycan full-electric car. Also visible are adaptive grille shutters on the front air dam intake and a retractable rear spoiler.

The electric Macan is based on parent Volkswagen Group's Premium Platform Electric, or PPE, architecture. Like the current model, it will be built at Porsche's factory in Leipzig, Germany.

Like the Taycan electric fastback, the battery-powered Macan will use 800-volt technology.

It will offer a longer driving range than the Taycan and be available in multiple battery sizes globally, though those have not been disclosed.

Porsche sold 88,362 units of the Macan globally last year, making it the automaker's No. 1 seller, followed by the bigger Cayenne SUV with 83,071 sales. The Panamera sedan and wagon accounted for 30,220 sales over the year.

Porsche's annual global vehicle sales increased 11 percent to a record 301,915 in 2021, as the automaker overcame chip shortages to fulfill rising global demand for its cars, especially plug-in-hybrid models.