Porsche 924 Reviews

The new Macan Electric range opens with the simply named Macan, which lists at $128,400, before on-road costs. A reminder here that the old entry-level Macan with an ICE powertrain would have set you back less than six figures, so this one represents quite the jump.That money gets you 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster, and a second 10.9-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.It rides on 20-inch alloys, has synthetic-leather seats that are heated up front and Australian cars get things like the clever 'Porsche Active Suspension Management' (PASM) system as standard.The entry-level Macan is the only model equipped with a single rear-mounted electric motor, and it will make a total 250kW (265kW with launch control activated) and 563Nm, which is enough to push the cheapest Macan to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds.Every Macan is fitted with a big 100kWh lithium-ion battery, which helps deliver a solid driving range. In the case of the entry-level Macan, that’s a claimed 654km.

The Porsche Macan is the German brand's best-selling model in Australia. Or it was, at least. Before the bold decision to ditch the internal-combustion powertrains and shift the entire range to an EV-only offering. Was that a mistake? Or a masterstroke? We put the new Macan Electric to the test to find out.

Porsche might have just made its biggest gamble ever, vowing its new and all-electric Macan will remain its best-selling vehicle in Australia and around the world, despite it consigning its internal combustion engines to the history books.

After the launch of the Taycan facelift in August, Porsche has brought two more lower-spec variants into the fray in the Taycan GTS and Taycan 4. 

There’s a reason why McDonald’s sells Big Macs and cheeseburgers and not salads and protein shakes — that’s what people want.The car industry is learning this lesson now, but in a more expensive way with brands that had committed to electric futures forced to backpedal as internal combustion remains the overwhelming choice for consumers.In a recent conference call, Porsche chief financial officer Lutz Meschke explained why the company has completely rethought its future model line-up with plans to have all but the 911 electric by the end of the decade scrapped.Instead, the Cayenne and Panamera will carry on with petrol power for the foreseeable future in the wake of softening demand for the Taycan electric sports sedan and a seemingly disappointing reception for the new electric Macan.“A lot of customers in the premium and luxury segment are looking in the direction of combustion-engined cars, there’s a clear trend,” Meschke said.While plug-in hybrids will continue to be invested in, Meschke made it clear that Porsche will be keeping its options open to adjust to the preferences of the market. He also appeared to indicate that the Taycan and new Macan could be reverse engineered for an internal combustion engine. “As for our electrified line-up, we are very flexible when it comes to our production footprint,” he explained. “We can produce combustion engine, plug-in hybrids and electrified cars in one production line in Leipzig. When it comes to research and development, you’ll see more flexibility in the upcoming years. We will develop new combustion-engined derivatives in order to give the right answer to customer demand.”Porsche is hardly alone in this situation either. Mercedes-Benz has also said it will have what it’s calling ‘tactical flexibility’ with vehicle platforms, creating architectures that can accommodate both ICE and EV powertrains in order to give itself a better chance in these changing times.At the other end of the market, Fiat is re-engineering its 500e to take a hybrid engine as sales of the electric city car have been well below expectations.While EV sales continue to grow in Australia they still make up only a small portion of the market, so car makers operating here will likely remain focused on ICE, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in order to balance consumer demand and in the incoming New Vehicle Efficiency Standards.

Porsche has released its most driver focused non-GT series 911 in facelifted ‘992.2’ trim, proving there’s life left in the purist sports car yet. 

A brand new hybrid Porsche 911 Turbo variant is on the way.

The formula stays the same, but the specifics have been tweaked for one of Porsche’s most-loved cars, the 911 GT3.

Is the small sports car the latest victim of the cost-of-living crisis?

There's a reason why some nameplates have been around for so long. Many are the pioneering vehicle's in their respective segments, still dominating sales as they did 50, 60, and in some cases, even 70 years ago.