Porsche Macan petrol to be axed early in Australia and Europe

Order books for the petrol-powered Porsche Macan SUV are due to close by the middle of next year in Australia and Europe.

In some markets the petrol Macan will be sold alongside its electric successor for the first year or two of production, but in Europe and Australia there will be no overlap – and possibly a gap, with no stock in showrooms.

In Australia Drive understands orders are due to close by the middle of 2024, with production to wrap up in the third quarter of the year (July to September) – ahead of the electric model's arrival by the end of next year.

It's believed the same end dates will apply to the petrol-powered Porsche 718 sports car – in Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe body styles – which too will be replaced by an electric car, due overseas in 2024 or 2025.

Meanwhile in the European Union, orders are planned to cease for the petrol Macan in the northern spring of 2024 (March to May).

It is designed to ensure all outstanding orders are fulfilled – and customer vehicles are registered – by 1 July 2024, when new cybersecurity rules come into force for new vehicles, which the decade-old petrol Macan does not meet.

The rules require new cars to have a cybersecurity certificate and be able to protect themselves from 70 security vulnerabilities – as reported by Autocar – with manufacturers to be fined €30,000 ($AU50,200) for every vehicle sold which does not meet the regulations.

The petrol Macan will remain on sale in the UK and other markets, and will reportedly stay in production until the end of 2025, Autocar reports.

A Porsche spokesperson told the UK outlet: "Sale of the Macan with an internal-combustion engine is expected to be discontinued in the EU during the spring, thereby ensuring that the vehicles can be delivered to customers and registered by the deadline."

The electric Macan is expected to arrive in Australian showrooms in late 2024, after it is unveiled early next year.

European arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however there may be a gap between the registration of the last petrol Macans, and the deliveries of the first electric versions.

The petrol Macan and 718 are fitted with autonomous emergency braking capable of braking for cars, which will become mandatory for all new vehicles sold in Australia from March 2025.

However it is unclear if the Porsche's system is built to the specifications needed to meet the requirement.

The Porsche Macan is the company's top seller globally, and locally it has delivered 2746 examples so far this year – almost outselling the rest of the range combined, which have tallied 3004 sales across the 911, 718, Panamera, Taycan and Cayenne.