Porsche News

Big screens and displays in cars can make interiors look modern and minimalist but what happens if they fail?

If we offered you a free Ferrari or free Toyota which would you take?

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has addressed the EV-only Macan shaped elephant in the room with news of a complimentary SUV model line, including internal-combustion variants, set to arrive before the end of the decade.

Everything that could have possibly gone wrong for the German car industry has.Skyrocketing energy prices as a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war, rising competition from China, the end of the German government's EV subsidies and dwindling global EV demand have strained the sector unlike ever before.And now, to add insult to injury, US President Donald Trump is vowing to slap 25 per cent tariffs on all cars imported from the European Union to the United States, a critical market for German brands.On our own shores, the impact of these external pressures is clear. In 2024, Volkswagen’s Australian sales fell nearly 17 per cent compared to the previous year, Mercedes-Benz's fell by nearly 18 per cent and Audi's by nearly 20 per cent.BMW is the outlier, with sales remaining steady at a slight 0.6 per cent increase on 2023's numbers, helping the brand maintain its lead as Australia's most popular premium brand by a comfortable margin.So, in a market where the odds appear so heavily stacked against them, how can struggling German car brands reverse their fortunes?Increasingly, it appears, by looking to BMW.Its success over the last 12 months and beyond has proven that the electric car transition can be leveraged to a brand’s advantage.BMW’s early investments in flexible architecture, which allows the same models to be built with internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid and EV platforms, has seen their EV sales start to command their global growth.Its EV sales grew 13.5 per cent in 2024 as the brand registered 2.45 million global sales and its M performance wing tallied an all-time record of 206,582 sales.Notably, the i4 M50 sedan, an electric version of the mild-hybrid 4 Series, claimed the title of M’s top-selling model for the third year in a row, showcasing the growing appeal for electric performance cars.Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz have largely focused on expensive EV-only platforms underscored by new model ranges, a strategy that has struggled to attract traditional ICE vehicle buyers.That said, signs of a strategic transition amongst these brands are beginning to emerge.Mercedes-Benz will launch its all new CLA later this year under both hybrid and electric guises, the latter of which is promising big advancements in range. Recent road testing of its own solid-state batteries could also see it register a major milestone in EV advancement before its rivals.Porsche and Audi have pledged to invest further in their hybrid and petrol technologies, as Porsche mulls a possible return of the petrol Macan under a new-generation model.Both brands’ parent company, Volkswagen, has said more plug-in hybrids are on the way, including for Australia, as the brand readies its ID.1 budget EV hatch for a proposed sub $33,000 price tag in early 2027.BMW, meanwhile, will debut its sixth-generation Neue Klasse EV batteries later this year, which are aiming to improve energy efficiency by at least 20 per cent compared to its current EVs, while offering up to 30 per cent more range.They’re industry-wide strategic shifts that indicate a turning point for the German automotive sector could be on the horizon. That said, any future prosperity will depend on how well its struggling brands can uphold their defining principles of sustained innovation and engineering excellence under increasing pressure.

You may have missed the news, but the Porsche Macan is now only available as an electric car.Porsche may be about to do a monstrous backflip and build petrol Macans after a drop in sales for the new all-electric version.That would be a mistake, as this is the perfect Porsche to ditch petrol power.Porsche lives in the real world and reducing emissions is a part of life for carmakers now and that won’t change.So switching its smallest, least powerful and everyday-driver-focused SUV to all electric power is the smart choice and will help prolong the life of its flagship 911.The majority of Macan buyers appear to be from well-heeled suburbs in our capital cities, with the vehicle used as an everyday conveyance.This is where electric cars excel. If you drive about 100km a day or so (the average Aussie drives 38km a day), then you’ll realistically only need to charge the Macan Electric only once or twice a week. Preferably you just top up every day or two. All you’d need is a 7kW charger at home with some solar panels and it’d be free to run.Its circa-95kWh battery delivers a driving range of between 654km and 616km depending on the variant you choose. Throw in ultra-fast charging capabilities and it makes the occasional long road trip a cinch.I spent a week in the Macan 4, which is the second model on the four-rung totem pole.It blends solid performance with a long range. It effectively takes the palace of the popular Macan S that again was the best of both worlds.It has some impressive stats: it makes 300kW and 650Nm and can sprint from 0-100km/h in a respectable 5.2 seconds. The top-shelf Turbo version makes a whopping 470kW and 1130Nm, and it can complete the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.3 seconds.The Macan Electric is refined on the road and whisper quiet, with the adaptable suspension of my test car meaning it could smooth and composed over pockmarked city streets or taught and engaging on a tight and twisting road.The steering is typical Porsche quality; it has a good weight to it and is direct with plenty of feedback, which all combine for a predictable and confident drive experience.And because it is an SUV, not a sports car, it can handle having the extra weight of the batteries as it was never meant to be as dynamically sharp as a 911 or Cayman. The weight of the batteries actually work in its favour as it lowers the centre of gravity, which helps reduce the trade-offs associated with high-riding SUVs.The cabin feels just like any other Porsche, so there is no need to skimp on quality. In fact, being electric tends to liberate more room inside as there are less mechanical parts and no direct link between the front and rear wheels. The Macan back seat isn’t the roomiest, but its boot is sizeable, again a great feature for everyday living.The only issue is the price. It is a massive jump up compared to the petrol version.The range kicks off at $128,400 before on-road costs, which is a jump of more than $30,000 compared to the most affordable version of the outgoing petrol model.Our Macan 4 starts at $134,400 then it jumps up to $149,300 for the 4S before topping out at $184,400 for the Turbo.

Porsche appears to be reconsidering axing combustion engines from its Macan mid-sized SUV line-up, amid a slump in demand for electric vehicles and falling global sales.

The car industry is based on constant model renewal. Cycles have been getting shorter and shorter, with the main industry settling on between six and eight years as the norm. 

The Australian new car market is more competitive than ever before and the 2024 sales charts proved exactly that.It doesn't matter whether you're a legacy brand or a new kid on the block, the electric transition has created ample opportunities for carmakers to thrive – and a considerable number did so this year.So, without further ado, here they are...GWM’s rise to a top-ten brand in 2024 caught many by surprise, though people are quick to forget that this has been a long time coming.As the first Chinese car brand to reach Australian shores in 2009, GWM has evolved considerably from its early ute foundations, with its SUV range now comprising the vast majority of its sales.Specifically, the Haval Jolion, which GWM sold 14,238 of last year – a record for the brand for what is Australia’s second-cheapest hybrid car and 10th most popular in December. We knew BYD was coming, but who expected this?The Chinese Tesla-challenger came big in 2024 with a sales uptick of 64.5 per cent, primarily off the back of the fully-electric Seal and plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 models – which sold 6393 and 6198 units, respectively, in their first year.With the Shark 6 ute and Sealion 7 on its way, who knows, by this time next year we could be calling it a top-ten brand.It was another strong year for Ford which maintained the title of Australia's best-selling vehicle with the Ranger ute. It clocked 62,593 sales in total.Second to it, albeit much further behind, was the Ranger-based Everest SUV, which clocked 26,494 sales for the year – a 75.8 per cent increase on last year.Together they accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Ford's sales, which puts them in a precarious position in 2025 with New Vehicle Efficiency Standards and stiff competition from BYD and GWM on the plug-in hybrid ute front.Australia’s love of Mitsubishi clearly isn’t waning despite the brand lacking an EV.Sales of the Outlander SUV, which is offered in plug-in hybrid guise, skyrocketed in 2024, with 27,613 sales making it the second-best selling medium SUV in the country behind the Toyota RAV4.It is also worth noting that the new-gen Triton had a strong year, with sales up a further 7.6 per cent to 14,737 for the year.There are few things Australians love more than a Toyota.  The Japanese powerhouse grew its sales by 26,056 on last year, with the final tally of 241,296 sales exceeding the volume of both second (Ford) and third (Mazda) places combined. A big chunk of that was off the back of the RAV4, which nearly doubled its sales from 29,627 last year to 58,718. Toyota expects that to grow even further in 2025.HiLux sales retracted by 14.2 per cent in 2024 and are likely to do so again in 2025, but it still performed strongly with 53,499 total sales. Expect some of the slack to be picked up by the brand new Prado this year.The South Korean powerhouse continues its march as one of Australia’s best-selling car brands, increasing its slice of the pie by a further 7.4 per cent in 2024 to 81,787 total sales.Leading its sales was the Kia Sportage with 22,210 sales, a 41.0 per cent increase on the previous year.The Cerato and Carnival models weren’t too far behind at 15,502 and 10,080 sales, respectively.Regardless of challenging times for the brand globally, Nissan had a strong year in Australia, clocking up nearly 6000 more sales this year compared to last.Those were greatly helped by the X-Trail, which had a huge 36 per cent increase in sales year-on-year.Though it's far from the most compelling ute in Australia, the Navara continued to sell relatively well, clocking up 10,063 sales for 2024, a 15.5 per cent increase.So apparently selling super-affordable cars during a cost-of-living crisis was a winning ticket, who would’ve thought?Chery shook things up in 2024 with its very affordable range, which doubled in size. The Omoda 5 reigned supreme, growing its sales from 5370 to 6162.It wasn’t without help from the Tiggo 7 Pro (2734) and the brand new Tiggo 4 Pro (1918) and Tiggo 8 Pro (1789) models, though.Suzuki is proving that you don’t necessarily need a brand new line-up to achieve sales success.As the brand’s most popular model, the Jimny (9697 sales), enters its seventh year, it shows no signs of slowing down, with sales up 93.9 per cent from 2023.The same can be said for the Vitara (2456 sales), which enters its 10th year this year with a 45.6 per cent sales increase on last year.Porsche’s strong year was largely off the back of its petrol Macan model, which is now out of production as the brand transitions to an electric-only Macan range.Expect sales to dip strongly next year.The second- and third-most popular models were the Cayenne and 911, which remain strong market favourites with respective sales increases of 15.5 and 40.3 per cent.While recording a modest sales increase, BMW retained its title as Australia’s best-selling premium brand for the second year running.With 26,341 total sales, BMW saw strong results across its very dynamic line-up, which consists of EVs, plug-in hybrids, mild-hybrids, petrol and diesel.Notable models were the electric i4 sedan, which saw a staggering 484.1 per cent increase on last year, along with the new X2, which saw a 565 per cent increase.It sounds big on paper, but the 16.1 per cent increase only equates to 600 sales from 3703 in 2023 to 4303 in 2024.Not to downplay it, though, it's a strong result for Chevrolet which sells its cheapest car in Australia – the Silverado LTZ 1500 premium – for $130,500, before on-road costs.

Porsche Australia has a fresh model to slot into the middle of its 911 line-up with the arrival of the updated 992.2-generation 911 Carrera S.Positioned between the Carrera T and GTS in terms of pricing, the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera S is available in both Coupe and Cabriolet body styles, with the former starting from $342,700 before on-roads, and the latter from $365,400.The step-up over the base Carrera and Carrera T comes in the form of a more powerful version of Porsche’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six petrol engine, making 353kW and 530Nm (up 20kW) compared to the base Carrera’s 290kW/450Nm.Like the base variant, the 911 Carrera S powers the rear wheels via an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, with the six-speed manual from the Carrera T not an option.That power allows for the German icon to nail 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds, Porsche claims, with a top speed of 308km/h.Porsche says its design is based on the last-gen 911 Turbo models, and that the standard equipment list is “significantly upgraded”. As such, it gains staggered 20-inch front and 21-inch rear specific wheels, a sports exhaust system and Porsche’s Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+) system that the base model doesn’t get.It borrows the higher-spec GTS’ brakes, with discs measuring 408 millimetres at the front and 380 mm on the rear. Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) are available as an option, as well as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sports suspension with a 10mm lower ride height and optional rear-wheel steering.Standard features for Australia will also include a tinted windscreen, the Parking Entry pack with surround-view cameras, adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and rear assist, 14-way electric sports seats, a Bose surround sound system, the Comfort Access pack and Power Steering Plus as a no-cost option.

As the automotive industry's peak body warns of challenging times ahead for the new-car market in Australia due to rising costs and high interest rates, there is one corner of the market that is thriving.