How was the all-electric Porsche Macan developed?

Talking Porsche Insights: behind the scenes with the team behind the Porsche Macan

With Jörg Kerner, Vice President Product Line Macan

March 4, 2025 | 2 min read

Porsche Macan Turbo Electric in Voodoo Blue special colour

The behind-the-scenes series, Talking Porsche Insights, catches up with Jörg Kerner, Vice President Product Line Macan, to dive into the development process of the all-electric Porsche SUV

Every Porsche car you see on the road is the product of several years of research, design and development. Take the electric Macan, for example. When it first went on sale in 2024, it had already been the focus of tens of thousands of hours of expertise from the Porsche designers, engineers and technicians who worked on bringing it from the drawing board to our roads. Overseeing the electric Macan project was one man – Jörg Kerner. Jörg is Vice President Product Line for the Porsche Macan. So who better to get a behind-the-scenes peek into how the Macan came into being?

Watch a video for insights about the Porsche Macan electric

As part of the Talking Porsche Insights series, Porsche host Sabine Hajek – who herself was involved in series quality for the company for five years and was part of the Macan development process – went to visit Jörg at a special location in the Macan story.

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It’s the Macan project house in Hemmingen, Germany. Jörg explains that everyone working here is focused on the Macan, taking us on a tour of a very special location, full of Macan models in various development stages. One of the primary tools that they use here is HIL simulations – or hardware-in-the-loop. This is a testing platform that helps replicate real-world environments for cars in various stages of development. This is a huge benefit to an automotive manufacturer like Porsche which, in the past, would have to build many different prototypes to carry out testing.

What is special about the Porsche Macan?

Naturally, Jörg is extremely proud of the work he and his colleagues have put into the all-electric Macan. Outside the workshop building, he introduces to his very own Porsche Macan Turbo – in Voodoo Blue, a special Porsche colour offered by the Sonderwunsch programme. Jörg uses it to highlight how important that the unique DNA of Porsche is present in every Macan, from how it looks and performs, but also in the craftsmanship that goes into every car that is made.

“You see this beautiful flyline, which is very dynamic,” says Jörg of the exterior design of the Macan. “We’ve always created beautifully pronounced bumpers, giving it a very sporty look – perhaps a highlight.”

Man and woman in Porsche workshop looking at Porsche Macan — Jörg Kerner, Vice President Product Line Macan, with Sabine Hajek, a host on the Porsche YouTube channel – and who also worked on the Macan development process Photo: Porsche

Jörg also points out the Porsche badge, in the special grey Turbonite colour that’s reserved for Turbo models across the Porsche range. It lends the Macan, Jörg says, a sporty and exclusive presence, even when it’s standing still.

Of course, when it’s not standing still, Jörg’s car – leaning on its Porsche sportscar DNA, like every Macan – boasts hugely impressive performance figures. The Macan Turbo can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 3.3 seconds, with 470 kW (639 PS) of overboost.

The message we get from Sabine’s time at Hemmingen with Jörg is how the Macan is not only a car with the typical sportscar qualities that we expect from a Porsche but also an everyday driving companion. A visit to the place where the Macan was developed makes it abundantly clear how this was achieved. Through attention to detail and implementing constant and consistent improvements.

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