---
title: "The Porsche Macan Outsold the 911 by a 3-to-1 Margin Worldwide in 2017"
description: "What's powering Porsche's expansion? It's all about small crossover SUVs, with the Porsche Macan accounting for almost 40% of the company's worldwide sales and outselling the iconic 911 sports car by a 3-to-1 margin."
date: "2018-01-11"
modified: "2018-01-11"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/17596/the-porsche-macan-outsold-the-911-by-a-3-to-1-margin-worldwide-in-2017"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Porsche News"
tags:
  - "911"
  - "compact"
  - "crossover"
  - "luxury"
  - "Macan"
  - "porsche"
  - "sports cars"
  - "suv/crossover"
---

# The Porsche Macan Outsold the 911 by a 3-to-1 Margin Worldwide in 2017

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/wdmp_160603_01977.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

We already knew Porsche [had itself a banner year](<https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/17343/porsche-reports-all-time-u-s-sales-record-for-2017.md>) in the United States in 2017, but the newly-released global sales numbers paint a more detailed picture about what's powering the P-Car expansion. And what do you know: It's all about small crossover SUVs, with the Porsche Macan accounting [for almost 40 percent of the company's worldwide sales](<https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/company/porsche-new-record-deliveries-record-set-sports-car-panamera-worldwide-2017-performance-efficiency-product-strategy-detlev-von-platen-14713.html>) and outselling the iconic 911 sports car by a 3-to-1 ratio.

They say nothing is certain in life except for death and taxes, but whoever writes those idioms may want to consider adding the world's ceaseless appetite for soft-roading crossovers to the list. Of the 246,375 vehicles sold by Porsche around the globe in 2017, a full 97,000 of them were Macans, an increase of 19 percent compared to the previous year. In comparison, the Porsche 911 line sold just over 32,000 units worldwide.

Now, Porsche is hardly [the only storied performance brand](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/11901/crossovers-are-more-important-than-a-hardcore-r8-supercar-audi-sport-boss-says.md>) for whom the crossover is now a sales king. The health of nearly every cool car out there [depends at least in part](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/13553/leaked-documents-confirm-bmw-x2-x7-m2-competition-destined-for-north-america.md>) on the vast amount of money companies can make selling CUVs, and Porsche's across-the-board sales increases show that icons like the 911 aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The growth of the Macan won't strangle the 911, and the record 28,000 Panameras sold (boosted by [the new E-Hybrid model](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/13960/2018-porsche-panamera-4-e-hybrid-review-the-smart-choice-in-plug-in-porsches.md>)) show that it doesn't have to be a binary choice either.

At the same time, it's a trend without end: Porsche now sells more SUVs than sports cars, and the launch of the new Porsche Cayenne in every market this year will only widen the gulf. China and the United States remain the two largest markets for the company, and it's a safe bet that future projects in the pipeline will continue to take both countries' predilection for SUVs into account.

Overall, though, Porsche seems to be in good health in a world that was supposed to be ruled by autonomous cars at this point, with total sales growing four percent last year compared to 2016.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)

## More

- [Production Commences for New 2019 Porsche Macan](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/23304/production-commences-for-the-new-2019-porsche-macan.md>)
- [Porsche Should Race the Macan in the Baja 1000 Since Off-Roading Is Cool Again](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/35586/porsche-should-race-the-macan-in-the-baja-1000-since-off-roading-is-cool-again.md>)
- [2019 Porsche Macan: If It Ain’t Broke, Just Change the Taillights](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/22384/2019-porsche-macan-if-it-aint-broke-just-change-the-taillights.md>)
- [2023 Porsche Macan T: 261 HP and a Stiffer Suspension](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/44345/2023-porsche-macan-t-261-hp-and-a-stiffer-suspension.md>)
- [Alleged Porsche Macan EV Concept Model Accidentally Shown in Now-Retracted Photo](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/37603/alleged-porsche-macan-ev-concept-model-accidentally-shown-in-now-retracted-photo.md>)
- [‘Outlaw’ Porsche Builder Rod Emory Is Creating a Baja Porsche Macan](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/40874/outlaw-porsche-builder-rod-emory-is-creating-a-baja-porsche-macan.md>)
- [The 2020 Porsche Macan GTS Makes You Feel Like A Race Car Driver When You Get Groceries](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/32144/the-2020-porsche-macan-gts-makes-you-feel-like-a-race-car-driver-when-you-get-groceries.md>)
- [2024 Porsche Macan EV First Ride Review: Screens and Passengers’ Screams](<https://www.thedrive.com/car-reviews/2025-porsche-macan-ev-first-ride-review.md>)