Pretty much every automaker has been reevaluating EV plans now that the growth curve no longer looks exponential. Porsche is no different. The German brand has backed off a plan to be 80% EV by 2030, which would have meant every car would be an EV except the Porsche 911. And the brand has been backing off plans to make its more affordable 718 sports car entirely electric.
Earlier this year, Porsche confirmed that “top” versions of the 718 slotting above the EVs would still offer combustion power. And a new report claims those will not be carryover models. If the report is correct, Porsche will build new combustion variants of its fifth-generation 718.
The next 718 is nearly ready for launch.
According to Autocar, Porsche is working on new combustion 718s, and they will not be continuations of the current model. The brand wants to reverse-engineer a combustion engine for the PPE platform. Like the outgoing 718, it would be a mid-engine layout for both Cayman and Boxster variants. And these would not just be limited-volume “top” variants like the GT4 slotting above the electric car.
However, Autocar’s sources suggest it won’t be a low lift on the engineering front. Porsche did not design the PPE platform with combustion engines in mind. The platform has neither a central tunnel nor provisions for packaging a gas tank, fuel lines, or an exhaust system. The combustion cars will also have to reach dynamic parity with the electric 718, which will be a formidable challenge.
The report does not specify which engine Porsche will use for the new cars. However, it notes that, under the revised Euro 7 regulations, an updated version of the 4.0-liter flat-six engine could be an option.
We have spotted the electric Porsche 718 testing on track several times. However, delays, including the bankruptcy of Porsche’s battery supplier, have now pushed the launch date out to early 2027. The Autocar report does not provide a firm timeline but says the new fifth-generation models will arrive “later this decade,” after the electric model. Per the report, the “top” models Porsche discussed previously will likely be carryovers from the current fourth-generation model.
The next-generation 718 is only one of the future cars Porsche has in the works. Porsche just unveiled the Cayenne electric, which will offer 400 kW fast charging and more than 1,100 horsepower in its top spec. The Macan has gone all-electric. But Porsche has confirmed that a new internal combustion and hybrid compact SUV is coming to replace it in 2028. New Porsche 911 variants are in the works, though enthusiasts can rest assured that a plug-in hybrid is not happening – for now.
Porsche’s lineup will grow in the years ahead – with more gas and hybrid models than EVs.
Other models appear less certain. Porsche is redesigning its three-row SUV, codenamed “K1.” Initially supposed to be all-electric, Porsche is now planning to launch it with combustion and hybrid powertrains. Initially thought to arrive in 2027, the timeline remains unclear. It’s also unclear whether Porsche’s Mission X hypercar will ever happen.
Source: Autocar
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