Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 02/25/2024
According to a story published by Auto Motor Sport, Porsche has announced that it will discontinue the Macan, as well as the 718 Boxster and the 718 Cayman, from the European Union in response to a new cybersecurity regulation that will be implemented on July 1, 2024.
As a result, these models will no longer be eligible for registration, and SUV sales will cease this spring. However, according to a Porsche spokesperson, there is no hard deadline for the sports cars. The decision to phase out the Macan was made at the end of 2023. A company spokesperson stated that only one-third of Macan sales come from the EU, while the US and China markets cover the remaining two-thirds. This change does not affect the 718 GT4 RS and 718 Boxster RS models, as the quantities are too small.
The reason behind the withdrawal of these models is the new UNECE cybersecurity regulation. The UNECE, or United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, adopted a new set of rules in the summer of 2020, providing automobile manufacturers with clear and harmonized requirements regarding IT security and software updates for their products.
These rules have been in effect since July 2022 for new series launched on the market and will apply to all new vehicles manufactured from July 2024 onwards. The new cyber security regulations require that manufacturers of software detect and defend against cyber attacks, provide secure software updates, provide comprehensive IT security during development, and manage cyber risks for vehicles.
Porsche plans to launch a new model, the purely electric Macan, in 2024. Originally, the Macan with a combustion engine was supposed to continue to be offered in parallel in the EU. The 718 Cayman and Boxster models will be relaunched as purely electric vehicles in 2025.
