The best-selling vehicle of the German auto manufacturer Porsche, Macan SUV will be turning into an all-electric version in the next decade. The popularity of electric vehicles around the globe is undeniable and continues to follow the upward trend. A majority of auto giants have launched their electric versions of cars with a successful response in the market. The electric competition is growing at a rapid pace and auto manufacturers are devising strategies to pave their way to the top of the list. In a similar turn of events, Porsche has finally decided to go all-electric for the very first time with its existing vehicles. To make a debut in the electric sector, the German auto manufacturer has chosen its best-selling existing car, Macan SUV. According to the announcement made by Porsche, the SUV will enter into its all-electric production as early as the next decade. Porsche Macan outperformed the other vehicles produced by the company including Cayenne SUV and Panamera in 2018 with a sale of nearly 90,000 units. Porsche’s lineup for the electric cars includes Taycan sedan and Cross Turismo. The production of Taycan will start at the end of 2019 which is also the final production version of Porsche’s electric concept mission. Cross Turismo is the crossover version of Taycan which is expected to go into production in 2020. So, Macan SUV turns out to be the third EV of the company’s lineup. There are not many details revealed by the auto manufacturer related to the electric version of Macan. Out of the least we know, Macan will be sharing the same 800V charging system as used in Taycan and its crossover version, Cross Turismo. This is an important aspect of the upcoming Macan EV as it will offer a fast charging option. At any compatible charging station of Porsche, it will take only 15 minutes to yield nearly 250 miles range on the road. In an important announcement, Porsche said that the next generation of Macan will be fully electric. It also rules out any chances of us seeing even a hybrid version of the SUV in the future. The vehicle will be entirely reimagined as an EV. It is worthy to mention here that Porsche is already offering hybrid versions of its various cars and further aims to shift half of its vehicles into electric by the year 2025. For the shift in technology, the automaker is investing as much as 6 billion euros by the end of 2022. The addition of electric propulsion technology to the company’s vehicles would definitely benefit the industry in terms of competition. That’s it from our side for now. Stay with PakWheels for all the latest updates on the automobile industry.

The Porsche Macan has not only quickly gone on to become Porsche's most profitable SUV's, but one of the most profitable vehicles from their lineup, with more than 97,000 vehicles sold in 2017 alone. The current first generation Macan was released all the way back in 2014, making it 4 years old now and in due need of a facelift. With competition getting more fierce by the minute within this segment from the likes of companies like Volvo with their brilliant XC40, its the prime time for Porsche to release the facelifted Macan. Though the recently released images of the facelifted Porsche Macan 2019 have surfaced online with barely any camo, and honestly we can hardly tell any difference between this and the current model. With the Macan being such a huge sales success for Porsche, it's clear that the company has no intentions of messing with its clear winning formula. On the front, we get a slightly revised front bumper with slightly larger air intakes and some very minor upgrades to the front headlights. Stepping around to the rear, we also get a pair of revised taillights that are slightly larger than the current model. All in all, Porsche have just added some slight visual upgrades and changes to make it more like the current generation Cayenne SUV. Also Checkout: Used Motorcycles for Sale The real upgrades for the 2019 facelift model are going to be found under the hood; the current base model Macan employs a four-cylinder turbocharged engine with a mere 252bhp, the revised four-cylinder in the facelift model is expected to increase that to a whopping 300bhp. The top of the line Turbo model will receive the same 2.9-liter V6 engine that currently resides within the Panamera replacing the 3.6 litre V6 turbo in the current model; power is expected to be increased to 440bhp as well. For the time being no diesel model is expected to be launched anytime soon if at all, and a hybrid model will join the lineup sometime in 2019. Interior wise the Porsche Macan is expected to receive a brand new infotainment system with a much larger screen and a revised center console layout. It is still unclear whether or not these changes will be enough to keep the Macan competitive or not, even the Macan's cheaper sibling the Audi Q5 upon which it is based features a lot more tech including the likes of its virtual cockpit, with around the same performance for a cheaper price tag.

Back in May, I wrote a piece on Suzuki Mehran's lookalike being made by the Chinese which went on to become the cheapest car of the country. If you might recall, the company behind Mehran's copy-cat, TT was one of China's largest company Zotye's subsidiary, Jiangnan. Chinese Jiangnan TT in addition to coming with a better interior came at a fraction of Mehran's price. Now after some silent time in China's cloning circuit, Zotye is all set to return with a stunner, this time, taking on the Germans by making an almost perfect copy of the all-famous Porsche Macan! Long rumored Zotye T700 or SR8 which was initially leaked by online renderings finally looks to be nearing its launch in China. Unlike the Jiangnan TT and many other Chinese copies who at times forget copying the interior and remain focused on replicating the exterior, Zotye SR8 carbon copies the cockpit of Porsche Macan too. [caption id="attachment_57326" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] The real deal[/caption] How is the Exterior Similar? The front is extremely similar of the two with the only exception being a slightly different grille pattern of the Zotye. The headlights are by far the only major differentiating factor of the two as SR8 has a single projector lamp accompanied by a strip style LED DRL (Daylight Running Lamp) while Macan comes with the traditional Porsche dual projector oval shaped head lights. [caption id="attachment_57317" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Real (Above) Fake (Below)[/caption] The rear end of Zotye SR8 may be deceiving in the first look but by comparing it with Macan side by side, the differentiating design factors can be noted which were, of course, left out by Zotye to use them as elements of defense if Porsche went to court but more on that later. The most easily noticeable bit is the license plate placement something which has always been a practice of copycats in China. Zotye has the licence plate cut-out on the rear hatch while Porsche houses the number plate on Macan's rear bumper. Moreover, the tailpipes on SR8 are rectangular as opposed to the circular exhausts of Macan. Tail-lamps despite seeing a decent amount of redesign still look pretty Porsche-esque. Other than these differences slight variations in rear reflector placement etc. are also noticeable. [caption id="attachment_57321" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Real (Above) Fake (Below)[/caption] How well has Zotye Copied Porsche Macan's Up-scale Interior? Stepping inside, Zotye has again done a decent job in copying Porsche Macan. The center console, steering wheel, gear shift lever even the switch and air vent placement are indistinguishable of the two. [caption id="attachment_57322" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Which 1 is the real one?[/caption] Engine Difference Draws a Fine Line between the Two! To escape heavy taxes and to keep the price in check Zotye SR8 will allegedly come with a 2.0-liter Turbo engine which will produce 177bhp along with this a 3.0-liter V6 Turbo is also rumored to make its way. The base model of the Porsche Macan, on the other hand, while coming with a 2.0-liter Turbo engine like the SR8 has more horses in its wheels, 75 more to be exact! So What About its Price? In Pakistan even at a promotional price tag of PKR 15.5 million, Porsche Macan is no match to the price of Zotye SR8 which as seen in the infographic easily beats our two stakeholders of the mid-range offerings, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic both by nearly half a million rupees. However it needs to be noted that the price mentioned of the Zotye SR8 is converted from its price in China, so if Zotye ever intends to bring this as a right-hand drive car in Pakistan, import duties will be a factor to consider which could eventually push its price to PKR 4 million marks. Will Porsche Take this Matter to the court? Porsche has already expressed plans on suing Zotye over the to be released SR8 however it looks to be quite uncertain if Porsche will find any success with the lawsuit. As off and on Chinese automakers including Zotye themselves have evaded the scrutiny of law.

Porsche Pakistan has further widened their model line-up with the inclusion of a new 2.0-liter option for the 2017 Porsche Macan Turbo. As a launching offer, Porsche will be offering a minimum special price limited to first five models of the new  PKR 15,500,000 for the basic 2.0-liter Porsche Macan package. Under the hood, Macan R4 Turbo has a new 2.0-liter turbo which produces 252BHP along with 370Nm of torque. New Macan also comes standard with a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. All of that contributing towards an impressive 0 to 100 time of fewer than 6.5 seconds which makes it 0.2 seconds faster than its predecessor. Moreover, features offered by the basic package of 2.0-liter 2017 Macan Turbo are as follows: At a promotional price tag of PKR 1.55 crore, new Macan Turbo is strategically placed to compete directly with the Audi Q7, which is currently available for PKR 15,550,000. We are currently awaiting Porsche Pakistan's response on the price of the new Macan turbo after the promotional first five cars are sold out as well as the new price of the 2.4-liter version of the Porsche Macan Turbo.