Porsche Revives Gas Macan For 2028, Keeps 911 Petrol

Leiters, who took over in January, said labeling him an EV skeptic "misses the point entirely." "I think that's unfair," he said, describing his strategy as recovery rather than retreat.

Leiters wants combustion and electric models offered alongside each other rather than one phasing out the other. The gas Macan is the clearest expression of that, built to sell alongside the electric version rather than compete for the same buyer.

"We have to be careful to ensure that the company was not making a double investment in petrol and EVs in the same vehicle segment," he said. "We have to recover our petrol strategy, but I'm very positive that once we have the Macan with the petrol engine, we have a very balanced offer for our customers on electric and petrol cars."

The electric Macan saw first-half sales slide 40 percent from a year earlier, while Chinese deliveries fell 32 percent across the same stretch.

The company's operating margin had fallen to 1.1 percent in 2022, dragged down by weaker demand in China and the expense of the EV retreat.

The response has gone beyond repositioning. Leiters struck a deal to eliminate 9,000 jobs by 2035 and shut down the brand's e-bike, battery, and software divisions. "With a difficult environment, we have to rethink our business model and the scale of our organisation," he said.

Porsche also generated about €1 billion by selling its stakes in Bugatti Rimac and the broader Rimac operation. Leiters blames a lopsided market rather than the technology: "If we have an even playing field, we don't have to fear any competition."

Not every segment is swinging back toward gasoline. Work continues on a battery-electric 718, leaning on Volkswagen Group technology to keep engineering costs down.

The 911 stays outside both debates. Leiters confirmed there will be no electric 911, reinforcing a position held for years. The car runs hybrid hardware in the Carrera GTS, and Porsche has ruled out a plug-in version, saying the 911 should not grow to accommodate the extra hardware.

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