Porsche delays Macan EV due to software issues

2023 was supposed to be the year of the electric Porsche Macan, but it won’t be. The unveiling of the German SUV has been postponed to 2024, without the reasons for this delay being explained.

Today, everything is clearer and, as some media predicted some time ago, part of the responsibility lies with Cariad, the software development division of the Volkswagen Group. A business unit strongly desired by the former number one of VW, Herbert Diess, and which, precisely because of the delays, was at the origin of the dismissal of the German manager.

Going back to the electric Macan, it was the prospectus published on the occasion of Porsche’s IPO which gave the details of the delay, this document of more than 800 pages which examines in depth and in breadth all that happened, is happening and will happen in Zuffenhausen.

« The group is currently developing, in collaboration with Cariad and Audi, the E3 1.2 platform which will be used for the electric Macan »indicates the document, « which the group plans to start shipping in 2024. The E3 1.2 platform is also intended to serve as the basis for a next-generation platform (called E3 1.2 Evo) that will implement advanced features, including improved autonomous driving and over-the-air (‘OTA’) technologies, in future models. »

So far nothing new, details will come shortly.

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« The Group has not previously developed this platform and related technologies, relying on the software developments of its suppliers, and does not currently have the necessary development resources to do so independently. The Group is therefore highly dependent the collaboration with Cariad to complete the E3 1.2 platform.Partly due to the delays taken by Cariad and the Group in the development of the E3 1.2 platform, the Group has already had to delay the start of production of the electric Macan. of the new electric SUV has been delayed for a year due to slower-than-expected software development within the Volkswagen Group. »

Added to this are other delays that could result from the parallel development, again by Cariad, of the next generation of software called E3 2.0, for which Cariad « could potentially allocate more development capabilities and resources at the expense of further development of the E3 1.2 platform ».

In the document, Porsche mentions the possibility of withdrawing from the agreement with Cariad concerning the 2.0 platform and specifies that any eventual decision will be taken during the course of 2023. However, this would mean that she would have to develop each element on her own, elements « for which it may not have the necessary expertise or resources ».

Porsche goes on to point out that the E3 1.2 software is a fundamental prerequisite not only for the launch of the electric Macan, but also for all future battery-powered models, including the 718 family (Cayman and Boxster) and the Cayenne. Further delays would therefore have a major impact on the schedule of presentations, with the risk of having to postpone presentations beyond what was planned.