The new Porsche Macan will not have a horizontally opposed engine

At the Geneva Motor Show, three senior Porsche figures, Matthias Mueller, CEO of Porsche, Bernhard Maier, Director of Porsche Sales, and Detlev von Platen, President of Porsche North America, had a detailed conversation about Porsche's future product planning.

Energy saving and emission reduction will undoubtedly be an important issue for the entire automotive industry in the future and will be a great challenge for Porsche, which beliefs in the pursuit of performance. But no matter what, the soul of Porsche cannot be lost, and a Porsche product must be a sporty car, or at least feel that way. Of course, the popularity of the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera is proof that Porsche can produce stunning classic traditional sports cars, but also does not lose out to other manufacturers in other areas. No, soon Porsche will offer plug-in hybrid models for both the Cayenne and Panamera.

First, let's talk about the Porsche Macan, a compact crossover that will have very good fuel economy and will be powered by a four-cylinder engine, but it probably won't be horizontally opposed because the platform used by the Macan will not be able to carry a horizontally opposed engine. The Porsche Macan will be targeted at a more urban, younger consumer base that is perhaps more concerned with fuel consumption and the car price. Of course, the compact crossover segment is the fastest-growing segment in the industry, and Porsche naturally wants a piece of the pie. Porsche's chief executive Mueller said that the Macan model hopes to sell 50,000-55,000 units per year.

Moving on to some more on the Cayenne and Panamera hybrids. It's no secret that Volkswagen Group's Bentley and Lamborghini will produce their SUVs, plus Lamborghini will launch its own four-door sports sedan based on the Estoque concept. So what else does VW have left for Porsche?

Mueller said that although Bentley and Lamborghini are entering the SUV segment, there will be no overlap between their products and Porsche's, whether in terms of price, size, or engine mix. He also described how Porsche will launch plug-in hybrid versions of the Cayenne and Panamera as soon as possible.

And about another brand of Volkswagen Group - Audi, has confirmed that it will launch the plug-in hybrid model of Q7 in the U.S. Since the Cayenne and Audi Q7 are sharing the same platform, so the hybrid of Cayenne and Panamera is believed to be available in the U.S. market soon.

Diesel cars will not enter the United States for now

When it comes to diesel engines, Mueller said, "America has to change its inherent perception of Porsche." But Detlev von Platen, president of Porsche North America, then interrupted, "The American perception is always changing dramatically all the time, and there are already a lot of diesel models on the road in the U.S. at the moment."

BMW and VW have proven the viability of diesel cars in the U.S. Americans are not entirely opposed to diesel cars, but the question is whether the diesel version fits Porsche's image in the U.S. Strangely enough, Porsche had confirmed that the old diesel Cayenne model was viable in the U.S., but this three-person meeting in Geneva still couldn't determine whether a diesel model would make it to the U.S.

The answer from Mueller is: "At least Porsche's workforce is working on a new supercar that will compete directly with the Porsche 458, using the Porsche-developed platform that will also house the next-generation Lamborghini Gallardo and Audi R8. "At least Porsche's workmen are working on the exterior and interior aspects of the new car."

What exactly will the car look like? According to previous interviews with Mueller, it may be mid-engine and more fuel-efficient, with aluminum and carbon fiber throughout the car. The transmission system may be a dual-clutch gearbox.

Mueller concluded by saying that Porsche is a small company and can't do everything at the same time, all these plans are to enable the company to survive better and win more sales profits while enhancing the inner value of the brand.