In 2024, Porsche launched the all-electric Macan EV with a plan to have it gradually replace the gasoline-engine version, which would not be renewed at the end of its production cycle.
However, the recent upheavals in the EV market, with sales fluctuating in certain regions, may compel Porsche to reconsider its plan.
A new-generation gas-engine Macan?
As reported yesterday by Autocar, Porsche is considering offering a new generation of the gasoline-powered Macan.
Another possibility would be to modify the new electric Macan to fit it with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, using a gasoline engine as a generator to extend range.
The popularity of this type of approach is growing throughout the industry. Volkswagen Group's new electric brand, Scout, is planning such a configuration for its Terra pickup and Traveler SUV.
At Stellantis, Ram has announced that the range-extender version of its 1500 pickup will be produced before the all-electric version. General Motors has also announced the return of the technology it previously used in the Chevrolet Volt.
Good start for the electric Macan
That new electric Macan, meanwhile, has gotten off to an excellent start. Launched in the fall of 2024, the Macan has already sold for 18,278 units. Porsche is cautious regarding those numbers, however – it’s as aware as everyone else that after the flying start of the Taycan, sales dropped significantly (49 percent in 2024, compared with 2023).
A few years ago, Porsche was talking about 80 percent of its sales being all-electric by 2030; that target was revised last summer. It's clear that gasoline-powered models will rub shoulders with all-electric models over a longer period than originally planned.
We'll have to see, then, what the company decides with its gasoline-powered Macan, production of which was due to end by next year. As for the Cayenne, the company confirmed last summer that a gasoline version would be sold beyond 2030, even as the 100-percent electric variant is due to arrive in 2026.
The same plan could be in the works for the Panamera, as well as the 911.