The era of the gasoline-powered Porsche Macan comes to an end this month
It’s officially the end of an era at Porsche. After more than twelve years on our roads, the first and only generation of the Macan with an internal combustion engine is about to bow out. By the end of the month, the last unit will roll off the assembly lines at the Leipzig plant, bringing to a close the run of one of the most profitable models in the German automaker’s recent history.
Introduced in 2014, the Macan quickly became the brand’s most popular vehicle, appealing to a much broader customer base than the traditional 911 and Cayenne. Porsche described it at the time as “the sports car among SUVs,” a phrase that allowed it to set a new standard in the compact luxury SUV segment.
The most interesting aspect of this story, however, is not the discontinuation of the gasoline-powered Macan, but Porsche’s admission of error. Earlier this year, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, who is also the former CEO of Porsche, acknowledged that the automaker had misjudged the transition to all-electric vehicles. Executives were convinced that Macan buyers would naturally switch to the new, all-electric generation.
That scenario never came to pass.
“We made a mistake with the Macan,” Oliver Blume admitted. “Based on the data we had at the time and our market analysis, we would have made the same decision. But today, the situation has changed. We’ve responded by developing new models with internal combustion engines and hybrid powertrains.”
A statement laden with significance for a automaker that, just a few years ago, had very aggressive ambitions regarding electrification.
The sales figures perfectly illustrate this shift in direction. In 2025, the new all-electric Macan appeared to have successfully made the transition, outselling its gasoline-powered predecessor, with 45,367 units sold compared to 38,961 for the previous model.
But the picture is quite different in 2026. During the first six months of the year, Porsche delivered 35,315 Macans worldwide. However, 19,695 of them were still equipped with gasoline engines, compared with only 15,620 electric versions.
In other words, despite its age, the older Macan remains the top choice among buyers, largely because it is more affordable in most of the available trim levels. And if the model were still sold in Europe, the gap would likely be even more pronounced.
Recognizing this ongoing demand, Porsche has built up significant inventory for the U.S. market ahead of the end of production. According to the automaker, these reserves should be enough to supply dealerships through 2027.
The problem for Porsche is that there is no direct successor ready to take over. A new compact SUV with gasoline and hybrid powertrains is indeed in development, but we’ll have to be patient. It isn’t expected to arrive until 2028, and contrary to what many might think, it won’t be called the Macan.
And like the outgoing gasoline-powered Macan, this future crossover, which will no longer be called the Macan, will be closely based on the latest Audi Q5, with Porsche-specific modifications, as was already the case.
