NEWS

End of the road for the petrol Porsche 718 and Macan in Europe

Macan, Cayman and Boxster may no longer be sold in Europe because of new cybersecurity rules

26 March 2024 - 15:14 By Denis Droppa
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The decision will not affect high-performance Cayman GT4 RS models.
The decision will not affect high-performance Cayman GT4 RS models.
Image: Denis Droppa

Porsche is to discontinue sales of its petrol-engined Macan and 718 Boxster/Cayman models in Europe as they don’t conform to new cybersecurity laws.

A new UN regulation taking effect on July 1 requires carmakers to embed cybersecurity protections inside their vehicles in Europe which Porsche said will be too costly and time-consuming to implement as it would involve redeveloping the electrical architecture.

The UN R155 regulation requires vehicles to have an anti-hacking management system (CSMS) to ensure that practices and measures are adequately applied across the development process and life cycle of vehicles. The current Macan SUV and 718 mid-engined two-seater were launched in 2014 and 2016 respectively, with their next-generation models to be fully electric.

The regulation means the internal combustion engined (ICE) Macan and 718 will be discontinued in Europe ahead of schedule. The electric 718 will arrive in 2025 and the electric Macan was unveiled in January, but the ICE models were to have sold alongside them for a while.

The decision will not affect high-performance Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster Spyder RS models, which are able to skirt the rule due to their limited production volumes.

Good news for local fans of petrol Porsches is that the ICE Macan and 718 models will continue to be available in South Africa and other markets for the next 24 months or so, said Christo Kruger, group public relations manager of Porsche Centre SA.


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