Porsche is stopping sales of the Macan SUV in the European Union earlier than planned because it does not meet new rules on cybersecurity regulations.
Porsche will discontinue sales of the Macan in the EU in the spring, a company spokesperson said.
The move is because after July 1 the electronics architectures in new vehicles registered in the EU will have to comply with new rules to protect the car from hackers.
The Macan was developed before the exact requirements of the cybersecurity regulations were known and it would be too costly to update the SUV to meet the rules, the spokesperson said.
"Implementing the directive not only requires adjustments in the technical implementation, for example in the control units, but also essentially a change of processes in the development phase. For example, management systems will have to be developed and certified for cybersecurity in future," the spokesperson said.
The Macan was Porsche's bestseller in Europe through October, with sales of 19,799 units, ahead of the Cayenne's 16,485 sales, according to market researchers Dataforce.
Porsche will continue to build the Macan at its plant in Leipzig, Germany, for sale in markets outside the Europe. The combustion engine Macan is expected to continue one sale outside Europe for another two years at least.
In 2024, Porsche will launch an all-electric version of the Macan, which was originally due to be sold alongside the combustion engine version for a transiation period. The electric Macan's market launch has suffered long delays because of Porsche parent Volkswagen Group's software problems.
Other VW Group models sold in Europe are also affected by the new cybersecurity rules. These include the VW e-Up electric minicar, the VW Transporter T6.1 van, and the Audi TT and R8 sports cars.
