Report: Next Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman Will Retain Gas Engine Options
At one point, Porsche thought making the 718 a fully-electric car, but here we are a few years later, and the automaker is joining a growing chorus of companies backing off aggressive electrification plans. Porsche recently confirmed that it would not eliminate internal combustion engines in the 718 Boxster and Cayman, though most will lose gas power.
Only the top 718 variants will retain ICE power, which could mean that only the RS or comparable trims would get a gas engine. The others will likely pick up electric powertrains, which could make for an interesting pricing model in the Porsche lineup, where EVs are cheaper than their gas counterparts for once.
Porsche has softened its electrification stance for other future models, too. The previously reported electric-only three-row SUV is now expected to arrive with gas and PHEV variants. Another plug-in hybrid crossover is due in 2028, and Porsche is still expected to move forward with an electric Cayenne.
The 911 picked up hybrid power with its most recent update, but it’s unlikely to go all-electric as other models make the leap. These changes will probably come as good news to Porsche enthusiasts, as they ensure the brand will offer gas powertrain options deep into the next decade, if not longer.
[Images: Porsche]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Thought there would be something new here...like announcement of a 982 platform or something...GT4 evo...nope. We already knew that the low volume of the GT4/Spyder models allows them to continue building and selling them as brand new current year cars indefinitely...but at some point the platform will get "old" and some kind of electronic upgrade or chassis development would be necessary...an evo at minimum. The new GT3 based on the new platform will have new suspension based on GTS and Turbo upgrades...but will the flat-6 mid-engine survive as a racecar only, with brutally expensive homologation models the only street versions sold? Although I'm not interested in an EV Boxster in any way, I am genuinely interested in seeing how they sell. In any case, Porsche really needs to build an entry level sportscar again...even if they have to collab with someone outside VAG...but who else is building a cheap mid-engine platform? At this point the market can't really support any more "normal" sportscars, front engine market is crowded...it's the mid-engine feel that makes the Boxster special, and handle distinctly differently from all other cars short of a supercar...sadly not available for under $100k anywhere besides a Corvette...and it would really be sad to see Porsche give up ALL it's mid-engine market territory to Chevy...
Porsche: PLEASE build another mid-engine ICE entry level car!! It can use a flat-4 just call it a 550. Please! With no touchscreen! PLEASE!
With good luck, Porsche might not be around for too long
https://www.mopo.de/news/panorama/krise-bei-vw-und-porsche-autoaktien-brechen-ein/