The upcoming all-new, all-electric 2024 Porsche Macan will soon make its debut in Singapore, as the sportscar maker panders towards the ASEAN markets to bolster growth, amid slowing sales in China.

Ahead of its debut on 25-January 2024, Porsche's Chief Designer, Michael Mauer provides insights into the challenges and considerations involved in designing the first Porsche model that has been electrified from an existing, conventionally powered product lineup, that spans back to 2013.

As Mauer explains, the first design challenge was balancing the established product identity of the Macan but ensuring that the vehicle is unmistakably Porsche while still being perceived as something new.

Also read: Eyes on Malaysia: Porsche looks to ASEAN markets for growth as China's economy stalls

Mauer said, “Specifically, we must make each new sports car clearly, recognisably part of the Porsche product family and of its respective model line. Yet it also has to be perceived as ‘the new one’.”

When asked about the parameters for determining customer reception, Mauer discusses Porsche's three key design principles: Focus, Tension, and Purpose.

Highlighting ‘Focus’, Mauer explains that in any Porsche, the focus is on the driver. Thus the cockpit switchgear, including a new curved floating display – everything is centred around ease of use for the driver.

“We have also created a sort of ‘minimalist mode’ in the instrument cluster. This enables the driver, if they so desire, to select only the elements of the instrument panel that are crucial for driving,” he added.

Perhaps more importantly, Mauer was asked how Porsche balances the different international tastes and trends in the design process.

In recent time, European manufacturers have increasingly angled their designs towards Chinese-market tastes, which include big grilles and chrome highlights. To this Mauer explains, “A brand with a powerful identity also banks on the fact that it doesn’t slavishly follow every trend. In Asia, digital elements in the car play a very important role – the design is more playful overall compared with a European perspective,”

However, Porsche’s strategy is to scrutinise every trend and examine critically whether it fits with the brand's DNA.

Mauer adds, “I strongly believe that the reason Porsche is so beloved around the world is the clear brand DNA and long tradition and, as I put it, a ‘consistent CV’,”

Falling demand in China, a result of the cooling Chinese economy, also means that Porsche will have to look elsewhere for growth, Southeast Asia for example. The shift in regional priorities is also motivating Porsche to rely less on mainland Chinese customers and to adopt a more balanced, international outlook in developing the new generation 2024 Macan.

On the aspect of technical requirements in shaping the design process, Mauer explained that the electric powertrain of the 2024 Macan presented both challenges and opportunities to the design team.

Mauer says, “The absence of the massive engine block allows us to have a more pronounced interpretation of the typical topography of the front bonnet. At the same time, the battery is still rather large, so takes up a lot of space and could disturb the vehicle’s defining width-to-height ratio,”

“Beyond the drivetrain technology, we are constantly faced with challenges that influence our design. Examples of this could be increased crash requirements, or regulations defining individual elements such as the design of front and rear lights” he added.

In general, Porsche has decided not to distinguish its electric models completely from its combustion-engined sports cars. The 2024 Macan retains Porsche's design DNA, with a sharper and more dynamic aesthetic that reflects its new electrified powertrain.

Previewed earlier by the Ludmilla Concept, the upcoming 2024 Macan will be based on the Porsche Premium Electric (PPE) platform and features a 100-kWh battery pack as well as Porsche’s 800V electrical architecture.

Also read: She's Ludmilla and she will pave the way for the future Porsche Macan EV, to offer 612 PS and 1,000 Nm, 100 kWh battery

In terms of output, the Stuttgart-based performance car manufacturer said that the Macan EV will deliver up to 612 PS and 1,000 Nm; considerably more than the current range-topping Macan GTS (440 PS, 550 Nm).