Porsche is all set to launch a new SUV that will be a successor to the ICE Macan in 2028. The interesting part is that for the first time in the brand’s 94-year history, the new production model will feature a drive biased towards the front wheels. The new SUV codenamed ‘M1’ will sit on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture of the Volkswagen Group. The third-gen Audi Q5 will also share the same platform. The new Porsche will also adopt the Q5’s Quattro Ultra drive system. But instead of heavily re-engineering it to offer a rear-biased four-wheel drive system – as Porsche did with the first Macan – it will instead be used largely unmodified to keep costs under control. Unlike the outgoing ICE Macan’s Porsche Traction Management set-up, which was engineered to send most of its power to the rear wheels, in the M1, it will primarily be sent to the front axle, with the rear wheels engaging only when sensors detect impending traction loss. Porsche is banking heavily on the M1 to turn around stalling sales and profits. It is set to be fast-tracked through development along with the new Q5. Demand for the electric Macan has been weak, with 25,884 units selling globally in the first half of 2025. The M1 will occupy the same market position as the first-gen Macan. However, there will be no electric option. That space will be occupied by the Macan EV. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume described the M1 as a “very, very typical Porsche for this segment” and stressed that it will be “differentiated from the [electric] Macan”. He also noted that the M1’s short, three-year development was “speeding up the process” of bringing it to market. A new Porsche typically takes five years from concept to road. Source: Autocar UK
