- Porsche Macan EV mule is believed to be the next Audi Q8 e-tron
- License plates are from Audi’s hometown, Ingolstadt, not Stuttgart
- Porsche is already developing Cayenne EV using Macan EV mules
What is Porsche testing here with this butchered Macan EV? At a glance, you might assume it’s another mule for the first-ever all-electric Cayenne, due to arrive in 2026. But our spy photo team says it’s all in the detail, and that it could be a prototype for the next Audi Q8 e-tron.
We’ve already seen scoop snaps of one hacked-about electric Macan, and that one we are pretty sure was the Cayenne EV. The main structure was definitely Macan, but it had a wider track covered by simple arch extensions, and the front end featured a completely different front bumper.
Related: 2026 Porsche Cayenne EV Spied For The First Time
These latest spy shots show another electric Macan mule with a similarly wide track and fender extension treatment, but this one has a different nose again. What makes it particularly interesting is that the license plate on that nose starts with ‘IN’, the code for Ingolstadt, which is Audi’s hometown and is located in the state of Bavaria. Porsche prototypes usually start with ‘BB’ (Böblingen District) or ‘LB’ (Ludwigsburg District), both of which are in Baden-Württemburg.
That suggests this is not a Porsche prototype, but an Audi test car. And if that’s the case, logic says we’re looking at a very early version of the next Q8 e-tron, though this being a simple mule, the production car will look completely different. The current Q8 e-tron is fairly old now and is really just an updated and renamed version of Audi’s original e-tron SUV from 2018. So a replacement is due, and we already know that when the new Q8 e-tron comes, it will be twinned with the electric Cayenne.
Both SUVs will ride on a modified version of the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) currently used by both the Macan EV and Audi’s new electric Q6 e-tron, and there will be commonalities in terms of battery and motor hardware, too.
It’s too early to talk exact specs for the Q8, but as a guide, the new Q6 makes 422 hp (315 kW / 428 PS), or 456 hp (340 kW / 462 PS) with launch control activated, while its hotter SQ6 brother pumps out 483 hp (360 kW / 489 PS) and 510 hp (380 kW / 517 PS) with launch control. The two Q6s each get a 100 kWh battery capable of delivering up to 388 miles (625 km) of WLTP electric range, and their styling is likely to be a strong influence on the look of the next Q8 when it arrives a couple of years from now.
