The next-generation Porsche Macan will be fully electric. So announced Porsche today, adding that the compact luxury SUV will switch to the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) vehicle architecture being developed by Porsche and Audi. Production will begin at its Leipzig factory "early in the next decade."

When asked to confirm whether this announcement meant that every version of the next-generation Macan would be electric, or just one version in a portfolio featuring multiple models, a Porsche representative replied simply, "The next generation of the Macan will be electric." Very well. The PPE architecture would certainly imply an all-electric lineup.

PPE is not used in the Porsche Taycan coming later this year, which instead uses a Porsche-developed platform called J1. The Audi E-Tron compact SUV utilizes a modified version of Volkswagen Group's MLB platform.

The current Macan is Porsche's best-selling vehicle and a veritable cash cow, so switching it entirely to electric powertrains would be a profound step for both the automaker and the industry as a whole. Such a change has yet to happen. There also isn't an electrified version of the current Macan, be it full electric or a plug-in hybrid, as is offered in the Cayenne and Panamera E-Hybrid models.

"By 2022 we will be investing 6 billion euros in electric mobility," said Oliver Blume, chairman of the board for Porsche AG. "And by 2025, 50 percent of all new Porsche vehicles could have an electric drive system. Nevertheless, over the next 10 years we will focus on a drive mix consisting of even further optimized petrol engines, plug-in hybrid models, and purely electrically operated sports cars."

No specific on-sale date was indicated, nor any range or power figures for the next-generation Porsche Macan.