According to our spy photographer partners, the return to ICE form for the latest-generation Porsche Macan is progressing along nicely – though it still has a long way to go since the company is currently using mules to test the goodies.
Porsche’s first-half sales for 2026 don’t look too good: they’re down 16% compared to last year, and the only bright star remains the ubiquitous Porsche 911. Since it’s not in any way threatened by the rise of EVs, the Porsche 911 series continues to remain in high demand during H1 of 2026, but there’s no more 718 to sell, and the Cayenne and Macan are falling off a cliff in the sales charts.
The Zuffenhausen-based luxury sports car and SUV automaker announced 122,306 sales during the first six months of 2026 as opposed to over 146k deliveries during the same period last year, showing the transitions haven’t bode well for customers. We are talking about the end of production for the 718 series and extremely poor demand for the electric models – Porsche is reportedly considering killing off the Taycan as a result.
More importantly, the company has decided to rethink its strategy regarding the EV-only Porsche Macan, and they have been considering an ICE-powered model for a while now – but it takes time since they didn’t develop the EV and ICE versions back-to-back. According to our spy photographer partners, the first prototypes of the upcoming ICE Porsche Macan, dubbed Project ‘Octan,’ were spotted in Sweden back in February 2025.
At the time, the prototypes were only mules, disguised as Audi Q5s with minimal modifications. In early 2026, the Audi Q5s were again caught with widened fenders driving in and out of Porsche’s facilities, signaling that something was amiss. Now, there’s a new set of pictures revealing a Porsche Macan test mule undergoing hot-weather testing in Spain, showing that development is progressing nicely along.
It’s still an Audi Q5 test mule, albeit with a different grille than before, indicating that work is moving steadily forward, and given that Audi Q5 Sportback test mules have also been spotted in Spain, it is possible that the Macan might also get a “Sportback” coupe-SUV version to make up for the lost time. The reason why we’re seeing Porsches in Audi clothes is simple: the new SUV will be underpinned by the shared PPC platform.
As such, it will feature a range of electrified gasoline engines—including four-cylinder and V6 units, all with all-wheel drive—as well as plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants expected to deliver an electric range of over 100 kilometers or more than 62 miles on a charge. So, what do you think? Is this the solution to save Porsche from the brink of collapse or not?