With the upcoming model year change, Porsche is introducing several new features and assistance systems to its electric Macan. Some of the features are also available via an update for existing vehicles. This also applies to a hardware change.

Porsche says that the focus will be on innovations “that take the user experience for the driver and passengers to a new level.” In terms of electric car features, the ‘Porsche Charging Planner’, the name given to route planning with charging stops in Porsche’s own navigation system, will be optimized. In the future, individual charging stations and providers can be prioritized or excluded when planning routes.

Easier parking and access

The majority of the update consists of features designed to increase parking convenience. The optional Surround View equipment will be expanded to include several new functions.

For example, the central touchscreen will feature a ‘transparent hood’ function, which uses the front and exterior mirror cameras to display a virtual view of the area in front of the vehicle, as if the driver could see through the hood.

In addition, ‘Trained Parking’ will be introduced. This enables the system to “learn individual parking routines and perform them automatically.” So, once you’ve parked the vehicle for the first time yourself, the car can repeat this maneuver in a familiar location (such as your own garage entrance), with the driver only having to monitor.

The range of features is supplemented by ‘Reversing Assist’, which enables the car to reverse along a route automatically that it has previously driven forwards. Ideal for narrow access roads or winding parking garages. The system remembers routes of up to 50 meters in length and offers safe, automated reversing.

With comfort access, drivers will also have access to the Porsche Digital Key, which integrates the vehicle key into Apple Wallet or a native wallet app on Android. This allows the Macan to be locked, unlocked, and started automatically, either by keeping the iPhone, Apple Watch, or a compatible Android device in your pocket or by simply holding it up to a reader. Digital vehicle keys can also be shared with up to seven other users, for example, to grant family members access to the car.

Gaming

Games from developers Gameloft and Obscure Interactive will also be available in the App Center in the future. These can be controlled via touchscreen or a Bluetooth controller, and in some cases, smartphones can also be connected.

“Driver, front passenger, and rear passengers can play individually or together,” says Porsche. However, the driver can of course only participate when the car is stationary, for example, during a charging break.

“The optional passenger display allows apps to be used simultaneously, even while driving, without distracting the driver. In combination with a Bluetooth headset, an undisturbed listening experience is possible,” explains the press release.

Higher towing capacity

Also crucial for some customers: the maximum towing capacity for all all-wheel drive models has increased by 500 kg to 2,500 kg. “Depending on the market, this increase can also be retroactively enabled for vehicles that have already been delivered to customers,” explains Porsche, but it does not specify yet which markets are meant.

The new Macan model year will be introduced by the end of the year, with the changeover in Germany scheduled to begin in autumn, while other countries will follow.