Current Porsche Macan and 718 sports cars to be axed by next September

Porsche Cars Australia has confirmed the current combustion-powered Porsche Macan and 718 Cayman and Boxster sports cars will be discontinued in the third quarter of 2024, ahead of the all-new Macan EV’s arrival in the fourth quarter.

We don’t yet have concrete local release timing for the next-generation Porsche 718s, which will continue to be available with boxer engines as well as battery-electric powertrains in at least some markets, but a PCA spokesperson confirmed that order books for the current Porsche Macan, Cayman and Boxster will close in the middle of next year before production for Australia winds down in the third quarter.

The revelation means Porsche’s best-selling model in Australia, where the Macan mid-size SUV has accounted for almost half of all Porsche sales this year, won’t be sold alongside its all-electric successor – as it will be in some other markets – and that Australians will not have access to the Boxster and Cayman line-up for between 12 and 24 months, depending on when the next-generation 718 is released.

Porsche’s electrification efforts have so far put it ahead of the game and the German car-maker will soon release pure-electric, new-generation versions of both the Macan and Cayenne with advanced EV powertrains, unique exterior and interior designs and, at least in the case of the former, the company’s latest PPE chassis architecture.

Originally the plan was for the internal combustion and battery-electric versions of the Macan to overlap in most major markets, but an upcoming change in cybersecurity legislation by the European Union has ruled out that approach in the Macan’s native markets, but we understand this is not the reason for the current model’s early retirement Down Under.

Regardless, Aussies won’t have to wait too long for the second-generation Macan – although it will be electric-only when it arrives here in the fourth quarter of 2024, with local pricing and specification details set to be announced in the coming months.

The electric Macan range is almost guaranteed to be more expensive than the combustion model line-up it replaces in Australia and, while there may be some overlap in availability of both models, stocks of the latter aren’t expected to last long.

“The current models will be available for factory orders up until approximately mid-2024 at the latest, subject to customer demand and available production,” a PCA spokesperson told carsales. 

“Beyond approximately mid-2024, customers may still be able to purchase stock vehicles, subject to availability.”

Believe it or not, Australians will actually have access to the petrol Macans for longer than Germans, given order books will close in Europe in (our) autumn to ensure the final examples are registered and delivered to customers before the new cybersecurity legislation comes into effect on July 1.

Because the current/original Macan is now the best part of a decade old, Porsche made the decision not overhaul its telematics and communications systems to meet the new standards, but they are understood to be factored into the development the 911, Panamera, Cayenne and Taycan.

We expect sales of the current Macan, Cayman and Boxster to boom in 2024 as a result of the announcement – the Macan because it will be the final petrol-powered model ever and the 718s because their replacements could still be years away.

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au