Porsche is actively at work on an electric version of the Macan, which is scheduled to launch early in 2024. The company has said it will keep the ICE model and the EV side by side in its lineup for a while, but not eternally. Now it looks that that cohabitation might go on longer than originally planned.
Initially, the plan was to keep the current ICE Macan until 2025 or 2026. But now the transition period during which both versions will be sold simultaneously could be longer than expected, due to certain uncertainties linked to the transition to electric vehicles.
Citing dealer sources, Automotive News reports that at a meeting with dealers last week in the Canary Islands, the company reportedly said it might delay plans to phase out the gasoline-powered Macan. One of the main causes for concern, according to reports, is the lack of recharging infrastructure.
As you can guess, this concern probably varies from one market to another. Automotive News reports that Porsche will make its decision based on sales results over the next two years.
Obviously, the Macan is a bedrock model for the brand. In fact, it was the group's second best-seller last year with 86,724 units sold, behind the Cayenne at 95,604 units.
Porsche's production boss Albrecht Reimold said last year that the electric Macan would sell as much as the gasoline mode, eventually. Porsche has set a goal for all vehicles in its range, with the exception of the 911, to be electrified by the end of the decade. If this goal is achieved, it will mean that 80 percent of the brand's sales will be all-electric models.
What we'll have to watch out for is whether the gasoline-powered Macan sees its career extended only where there are concerns about recharging infrastructure. In Canada, where infrastructure is considered less of a problem, could it mean the gas-engine Macan might disappear more quickly? That’s a distinct possibility.
Stay tuned.