• porsche insiders confirm that the gasoline-engined macan will stick around for a few years, even as the new macan ev is slated for a 2021 debut.
• the current macan will get a facelift to look similar to, but not exactly like, the new ev.
• no plug-in hybrid is coming, though; its batteries would take up too much space.

last february, porsche shocked the automotive world with a surprising statement: the next-generation macan, due for the 2022 or 2023 model year, would be all electric. it's a bold move, and if you think that a total switch to an all-electric macan sounds like a risky proposition, you are not alone. porsche apparently thinks so, too, since it has previously announced that electric- and gasoline-powered models would sell alongside each other.

we can now confirm that we are not just talking about a short overlap. the gasoline-powered model, essentially the current model, will be facelifted to resemble its electric sister model. and it will run for another three years next to the new model, a top-level brand executive has confirmed. another insider hastens to add that there is some flexibility as to the product cycle: "such an important car can keep the internal-combustion engine even longer," we are told.

we think this cautious, customer-friendly strategy makes a lot of sense. the current macan has become an important backbone for the brand. in fact, insiders tell us the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder macan has been the brand's best-selling model for some time.

while porsche remains committed to the gasoline-powered macan, the ultra-efficient diesel engine is unlikely to make a comeback: in 2018, porsche had announced it would stop selling the oil burners that had fallen into disrepute as a consequence of the vw group's diesel scandal.

if that decision is ever reversed, modern and emissions-compliant diesels are readily available in the vw group. however, there is one thing we are guaranteed not to see: a plug-in hybrid. the batteries, we are told, would eat up way too much trunk space.