Addressing the media at the UK market launch of the Macan, Porsche’s manager of Product Operations James Eastwood claimed the SUV’s bonnet to be the “largest single aluminium part on any production car”.

Not only the bonnet, but the rear lid is also crafted from aluminium. As well as fewer emissions and better fuel economy, another aim was to make the centre of gravity as low as possible. This is the reason why the body platform and doors are manufactured from high and super-high strength steel sheets.

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The bonnet incorporates a new feature for Porsche: an air duct for engine ventilation is integrated on the underside. This channels air directly to the two turbochargers. All launch versions of the Macan have forced induction engines. The decision to build the raw air duct into the metal part was prompted by space considerations, as well as the need to both save weight and keep the bonnet as low as possible for pedestrian protection laws.

Porsche has gone to a great deal of trouble to get weight out of the Macan. Inside, the supporting plate and guide rails for the front armrest are finished in magnesium, while all insulating materials used in the car are a mix of aluminium and butyl. This is a lighter alternative to bitumen, the most common insulating material.

Another example of the battle to keep mass as low as possible is the battery and its associated components. The vehicle’s electrical supply lines are made from aluminium, which Porsche says gives a 3.5kg saving compared to copper.

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Macan bodies are made within the same newly expanded Leipzig manufacturing facility as the vehicle itself. The company uses 370 robots within a 35,000 square metre area. Porsche says the steel and aluminium pressed body parts are joined in under four hours, via approximately 5,200 spot welds.

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