- Porsche’s 2028 ICE Macan successor, adopts Audi’s Quattro Ultra front-biased AWD.
- Cost savings and falling EV demand drive Porsche’s shift away from its rear-drive roots.
- Porsche risks following BMW, Mercedes, and Acura down the profit-over-purity path.
We’ve known for a little while that Porsche was reversing course on its plan for the ICE Macan. The automaker originally intended it to only continue as an EV, but demand simply isn’t there.
Instead, Porsche is already working on a replacement for the gas-powered Macan that’s been in production since 2014 with three facelifts under its belt, but it might still end up with a demand problem. That’s because this will be the very first Porsche ever to be front-drive biased.
More: Porsche Fast-Tracks New Compact SUV With Gas And Hybrid Power
We’re not talking about some small change either. For 91 years, every single Porsche has sent power exclusively or primarily to the rear wheels. That decision is one that prioritizes handling precision and overall performance.
Front wheel drive cars can be great, but they’re at a disadvantage from a performance perspective, and while lots of tech can make them feel good, nobody can actually cheat physics.
A Front-Biased Future
That’s why we were shocked to see a report from Autocar that the next Macan, codenamed M1, will be a front-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive SUV. The decision plainly removes performance and precision from the top rung of priorities and instead puts profits above it. Porsche will leverage Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture, which underpins the third-gen Audi Q5.
In the past, Porsche has shared platforms with other VAG cars, but it’s always gone to whatever lengths it had to to make its final product rear-wheel biased. This time, Porsche will reportedly use Audi’s Quattro Ultra system with minimal modifications.
That means that the front wheels will drive the car all the time and only send power to the rear wheels when traction loss is detected. Put another way, that’s the same general way the system in my 2010 Ford Flex Limited works. How exciting.
The Push Behind the Pivot
The M1 program was greenlit after Porsche’s profits plunged some 67 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2025. Lower-than-expected demand for the Macan EV, which sold just under 26,000 units during that period, along with sluggish sales in China and U.S. tariffs, all have a part to play in that.
VW Group CEO Oliver Blume confirmed the SUV in July, calling it a “very, very typical Porsche for this segment,” though its architecture suggests otherwise.
More: This Audi Q5 Could Actually Be The New ICE Porsche Macan
No doubt, using Audi’s tech will allow Porsche to fast track this new Macan with a launch planned for 2028. The real question is how well it’ll go over when it arrives. Of all the brands on the planet, it was Porsche that proved that an SUV can drive like a Porsche. Maybe it can also prove that a front-biased car can drive like a Porsche… but we won’t hold our breath.
