Porsche Macan petrol to continue alongside all-new EV

Petrol-powered versions of the popular Porsche Macan mid-size SUV will continue to be sold in Australia for longer than originally expected, with both the incoming all-electric variants and combustion models to be available alongside one another for a time.

While the petrol Macan was due to be discontinued when the new-generation battery-electric version is introduced this year, the German car-maker will now continue to offer the four- and six-cylinder turbo variants simultaneously with the EV.

When asked if the electrification of the company’s most popular model would be warmly received by customers, Porsche Cars Australia CEO and managing director Daniel Schmollinger said they had time to find out.

“For a while we will have an offer of ICE [internal combustion engine] and electric so we still have a bit of time to see how the market reacts,” he said.

“But what we also have seen is that in Australia, electric cars have really pushed hard and really accelerated over the last year and we have basically all these customers that have decided to go on the electric journey.

“We have an answer for the next level, so we are really confident that this will be a success.”

Until recently, Porsche had forecast the end of petrol-powered Macans in the middle of 2024, but with the EV due late in the year, the combustion versions have been bought extra time.

Just how much extra time is not yet known. Schmollinger said “a certain period of time” and explained that demand will dictate how long both will be available.

“We still have the ICE, yes, and then once this car is sold out, we then go from there,” he said.

“We don't have a specific time when it's only electric.”

From a global perspective, the electric Macan is already proving a hit with 10,000 orders worldwide – and that’s even before the order books are opened in China, Japan and South Korea.

Schmollinger is confident the new EV’s offering of premium features, long range and performance will continue the same momentum when it lands in Australia.

“I'm totally confident if we put customers in front of this car and in the car, they will be overwhelmed by what a Porsche electric car can do,” he said.

Furthermore, the company believes the introduction of its first electric car – the Porsche Taycan – demonstrates how Australians are prepared to readily accept a zero-emissions cars from the famed German sports car marque.

"Obviously, there were some question marks if the Taycan is the right fit for the market, especially in Australia that is petrol oriented,” said Schmollinger.

“We reached roughly 10 per cent share within our model range which is, from a global point of view, an outstanding result and based on this we have strong beliefs the Macan electric will follow this path to be also very successful.”

If the Macan EV turns out to be as popular as predicted, supply won’t be an issue according to Schmollinger.

“We have good allocation,” he said, adding that Porsche will be managing supply and demand carefully.

“We will not flood the market. We will not have too few. We will try to have exactly the right number of cars in order to develop this as a typical Porsche.”

In its current form, the Macan is by far the high-performance brand’s cash cow and most affordable model, with more than 2900 examples registered last year representing just less than half of all 2023 Porsche sales in Australia.

The new electric version forms a vital part of Porsche’s strategy for 80 per cent of its sales to be pure-electric models by 2030.

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