During an earnings call for the company's first six months of the year, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed that the company is working on a new gas-engine SUV set to debut for the 2028 model-year.
The executive described it as a typical Porsche model, yet one that also differentiates itself from the Macan.
Porsche was forced to discontinue the gas-powered Macan in Europe last year because it no longer complied with new safety regulations there. Given that that SUV is one of the automaker’s most profitable models, its removal hurts.
The gas Macan is still offered elsewhere globally, including in Canada, but its days are numbered, with production expected to end next year. Porsche finds itself with an SUV-sized hole to fill in its lineup – and in its bottom line.
Yes, the electric Macan is available, but its sales volume won't match that of the gas version for some time. The company needs an alternative sure money maker.
Last March, in fact, Porsche announced plans for a new gas vehicle, which would also be available as a hybrid. The decision has clearly been made, and the planned model will be ready to deliver to customers in about three years.
That’s a short timeframe to being a model from concept to fruition. The company promises an accelerated process and "very short development times."
We can guess that the new product will be built on the Volkswagen Group's PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) platform, precisely to accelerate development. If that's the case, the SUV could share several elements with Audi's new Q5. This is, of course, speculative; we'll see what what’s what in the coming months and years.
Styling-wise, the safe bet is that Porsche’s new model will be a mild-to-medium evolution of the Macan, even if it won’t carry the same nameplate. And that’s because Porsche plans to keep that name only for the electric SUV just introduced.