Petrol Porsche Macan set for longer life in Australia as EV replacement looms

The petrol Porsche Macan is set to have an extended lifespan in Australia as the German car maker prepares to launch the electric-only next-generation version of its popular midsized SUV.

Porsche’s long-delayed new-generation Macan finally goes on sale locally in late 2024, costing from $133,700 to be $40,000 dearer than the most affordable petrol Macan.

The petrol Macan, around since 2014, was due to be phased out in the same last quarter, with global production set to end in the third quarter of this year. The company says there’s now no set time for the SUV to go all-electric, at least in Australia.

“For a certain while we will offer the ICE [internal combustion engine] and fully electric [Macans]. So we still have a little bit of time to see how the market adapts,” Porsche Australia CEO Daniel Schmollinger told media at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Porsche’s vice president region overseas emerging markets, Matthias Becker – also in attendance for an event where the company showcased its stunning Mission X hypercar concept – reiterated the plan for greater showroom flexibility for a model that accounted for half of the brand’s Australian sales last year.

“It depends on how quickly the ICE [Macan] sells out. So we don't have a specific time when [the Macan is] only electric,” added Becker.

Schmollinger said he was confident the electric Macan could be a success, especially based on Australia’s reception to the company’s first electric model, the Taycan sedan.

“We started three years ago with the Taycan and obviously there had some question marks if the Taycan is the right fit for the market, especially in Australia that is petrol oriented. And the success we saw with the Taycan over the last three years was actually outstanding and so it exceeded our expectations.

“By now we reach roughly 10 per cent share within our model range, which is within from a global point of view and outstanding design. And based on this we have strong beliefs that the Macan Electric will follow this path to be also very successful.

“What we also have seen is that in Australia electric cars have really pushed hard and really accelerated over specifically the last year. And