The Porsche Macan. Photo: Porsche.

Porsche unveiled the Macan, a compact crossover that the company hopes will kick-start sales. Porsche’s newest vehicle was born out of a desire to make the brand more accessible to more people and give the company a significant boost in sales. But with a price tag that starts at around NIS 585,000 ($163,000), the Macan is not expected to become a hit  in Israel anytime soon.

Porsche now has an even balance between gleaming two-door sports cars and more practical four-door models. Since the unveiling of the Cayenne in 2002, Porsche has tripled its sales and today such classic models as the Boxster, Cayman and the legendary 911 represent only about 20 percent of total sales worldwide.

As for the Macan, the price of the Turbo version of the vehicle is a whopping NIS 845,000 ($236,000).

Still, local Israeli Porsche importers remain optimistic. Representatives of the importers reported that several advance orders have already been placed, according to Israel’s Channel 2. These high end versions of the Macan are expected to start arriving in Israel beginning in April, 2014.

The stripped down versions of the Macan, featuring a 2.0 liter engine, will arrive in Israel during 2015 and will come with a relatively attractive price tag that may enable Porsche, which recorded a 33 percent increase in sales in Israel in 2013, to significantly boost sales in the Holy Land for years to come.