Gas-Powered Porsche Macan Dying In Europe Sooner Than Expected Due To Cybersecurity Rules

Photo: Porsche

The fully electric next-generation Porsche Macan will finally go on sale in 2024 after multiple delays, and Porsche’s original plan was for the current gas-powered Macan to soldier on alongside the new Macan EV for at least a couple of model years. According to a report from Automotive News, in most of Europe that will no longer be the case, as the existing Macan will be pulled from sale in the spring due to new cybersecurity rules.

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Starting on July 1, the European Union is enacting new regulations to prevent cars from being hacked, with all new vehicle architectures required to have a specific cybersecurity certificate and electronics setup to protect against 70 different vulnerabilities, including during development and production of the vehicles.

The current Macan was developed before these regulations were finalized, and it would be too costly and difficult to update the car to adhere to the new rules. Additionally, Porsche would be fined up to €30,000 per vehicle that doesn’t meet the new standards, so it’s not surprising that it’s just pulling the Macan from sale instead.

Front 3/4 view of a camouflaged Porsche Macan EV prototype

A prototype of the Macan EVPhoto: Porsche

This is a pretty annoying situation for Porsche, as the current Macan is easily the brand’s best-selling model in Europe, with more than 20,000 units of the crossover moved in 2023. While the Macan EV is finally coming soon, it will likely be production constrained at first, and going electric could be a hard sell to many of the Macan’s existing customers.

Luckily, the gas Macan will continue to be sold in other markets like the U.S. and U.K. that aren’t beholden to these new cybersecurity rules, as Autocar reports. Through Q3 2023 in the U.S. Porsche sold 20,841 Macans, nearly 6,000 more units than the Cayenne and vastly more than any other model.

The gas-powered Macan will continue to be built in Leipzig, Germany alongside the new Macan EV at least through the end of 2025. The Macan EV should be unveiled within the next few months and go on sale in the U.S. later in 2024.