Porsche Macan's future mightn't be EV-only after all - report

Porsche’s bet on the all-electric Macan appears to have missed the mark, with reports from Europe claiming the SUV will once again be offered with petrol and diesel power globally.

UK publication Autocar reports Porsche insiders have said upper management is “revisiting the decision” to sell the Macan exclusively as an electric vehicle (EV).

The internal combustion-powered Macan was axed from European showrooms in April 2024 as it no longer complied with strict cybersecurity laws, with the cost of conforming to the regulations potentially resulting in huge investments in the 10-year-old model.

This impacted Australia too, with production of the locally delivered Macan wrapping up at the same time as Europe. The Macan has recently accounted for almost half of all Porsche sales in Australia.

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Porsche Australia said last month it expects to have stock of the combustion-powered Macan until the end of June 2025, however after then buyers will need to shell out more for the new electric Macan which has a base price around $30,000 higher.

While the combustion-powered Macan is still produced for certain global markets which don’t have the same cybersecurity requirements, it had been particularly popular in Europe, where the new-generation EV model is failing to fire.

This, coupled with stalling sales for the Taycan electric sedan and wagon, have reportedly led to Porsche executives considering a “range of product scenarios”, which includes bringing petrol and diesel power back to the global Macan.

According to Autocar, this could mean basing it on the new Audi Q5, which was recently brought into its third generation on the Volkswagen Group’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture.

Though PPC is currently an Audi-only architecture, the Q5 and Macan have traditionally been twins under the skin.

Likewise, the Q6 e-tron – an electric alternative to the Q5 – is based on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Macan EV.

Should the Macan adopt the underpinnings of the Q5, it could be offered with a choice of turbocharged engines, ranging from 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, a 3.0-litre V6 petrol and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel – all with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.

It’s also possible that despite being electric-only, the PPE architecture could be modified to accept ICE and hybrid power.

“We are exploring the possibility of equipping some of the originally planned electric models with hybrid drives or internal combustion engines in the future,” Porsche deputy chairman and CFO Lutz Meschke told Autocar.

“Conceptual decisions are being made, but what is clear is that we are committed to the combustion engine for much longer.”

Porsche has already committed to selling its combustion-powered Cayenne alongside the upcoming fourth-generation electric version, also based on the PPE.

The Macan EV and Taycan aren’t the only speedbumps Porsche’s electric plans are facing.

Last month German publication Automobilwoche the upcoming ‘983’ generation 718 (better known as the Cayman coupe and Boxster convertible) were facing delays due to complex issues impacting the battery.

Porsche reportedly wants the battery to be in the middle of the vehicle – similar to the mid-engine placement in current models – however this is reportedly causing headaches, leading to the carmaker requesting adjustments from battery-maker Valmet Automotive.

The battery supplier has reportedly “incurred significant additional costs due to the delay”, which the outlet says Porsche isn’t willing to cover in full or at all.

Final examples of the current 718 models are due to roll down the line between June and September 2025.

Australian production of the petrol-powered 718 has already concluded, with the final examples being built in September 2024.

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