Porsche upgrades Macan software

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

According to Porsche, the focus will be on innovations “that take the user experience for the driver and passengers to a new level.” At least, that is what is announced in the accompanying press release. 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 optimised. In future, individual charging stations and providers can be prioritised or specifically excluded when planning routes.

However, the majority of the update consists of features designed to increase parking convenience. With the model year change, the optional Surround View equipment will be expanded to include several new functions. For example, the central touchscreen will feature a “transparent bonnet” 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 bonnet. In addition, ‘trained parking’ will be introduced. This allows the system to “learn individual parking routines and perform them automatically;” in other words, once you park the vehicle yourself, the car can repeat this manoeuvre itself in a familiar location (such as your own garage entrance), with the driver only having to monitor.

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. The digital vehicle keys can also be shared with up to seven other users, for example, to give family members access to the car.

Games from developers Gameloft and Obscure Interactive will also be available in the App Centre in 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,” wrote Porsche, although 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.”

There is also a change in utility value (which is important for some customers): the maximum towing capacity for all all-wheel drive models has increased by 500 kilograms to 2,500 kilograms. “Depending on the market, this increase can also be retroactively enabled for vehicles that have already been delivered to customers,” explained Porsche, but it does not specify 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.

porsche.com

This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.