Porsche is preparing to adapt its next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman platform to accept petrol engines, in an abrupt U-turn on plans for the models to go EV-only.
Production of the fourth-gen Boxster and Cayman ended last month, with new bespoke electric versions due this year. But with EV demand waning, Porsche had already announced it would continue selling "top" variants - tipped to be the RS and GT4 RS versions - of the current models.
That was part of a "strategic realignment" that included Porsche rolling back a number of EV plans, taking a £6.65bn hit in the process.
Now, senior sources at the company's Weissach engineering centre have told Autocar that Porsche is also working on returning the petrol duo to the line-up by reverse-engineering the EV-only PPE Sport platform, developed for the 2026 electric successors, to accommodate a mid-mounted engine.
The move is aimed at ensuring maximum production efficiency and volume of scale on key components and it represents one of the most radical drivetrain reversals in Porsche's history. It follows the route taken by other car makers, including Fiat with the 500 Hybrid and Mercedes-Benz with the Viano.
The decision is part of a wider recalibration of Porsche's previous new-model strategy. Other models in the line-up that were previously earmarked to go exclusively electric, including the Macan, are now also set for an internal combustion engine reload.
Indeed, these new PPE Sport-based 718s are different from the "top" 718 variants that Porsche said were in the works during September's "strategic realignment". Those models are expected to be the continuation of the current-generation RS and GT4 RS, which are being positioned to sit above the 2026 EVs. This new information suggests they will be used as a stopgap until the upcoming fifth-generation models arrive towards the end of the decade.
Porsche insiders stress that, to be viable, the new fifth-generation ICE models must achieve dynamic parity with their electric siblings - a high bar, given what they described as an "ultra-low centre of gravity" provided by the electric architecture.
Achieving that will be no small task. The PPE Sport platform uses a stressed, load-bearing battery pack and a flat floor, so removing the battery would significantly weaken the entire bodyshell.
As a result, the proposal from Porsche engineers centres on developing a new structural floor section that bolts into the platform's existing hard points, effectively adding the rigidity back in. A redesigned rear bulkhead and subframe will then support the engine and transmission, Autocar has been told.
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So....are they making the EV versions or not????
This whole drama and 11th hour change, is starting to feel like what Jaguar did when they canceled the electric XJ replacement just before they introduced it! Whether this is the right move or not, one way or the other, shareholders should be outraged, because they either wasted money when they made the move to make these models electric only, or they're wasting money retrofitting the platform for internal combustion! The leaders of the company should be removed, period!
The Macan EV was on my shortlist for my next car. If this is how Porsche are going to behave facing into the climate crisis then I don't want to be associated with them. My £80k will be spent elsewhere!
Your £80K doesn't compare to the £6.65bn hit Porsche are taking, why make a car that's not going to sell well enough to make a profit?, and you and others who would rather buy from another brand because they car is EV might be a regret when Porsche do build an EV car when Rv sales start to pick up again when ever that is.
Sounds like you've fallen for all the eco clap-trap. If you want an EV, then go ahead and buy one - don't judge a car company by policies it has to make to stay in business. The vast majoroty or Porche buyers have no interest in electric powertrains, and I totally understand that. If Porsche stayed on the electric only path they'd be gone in 10 years, as would many others. How would your choice look then?
Strange isn't it, the closer we get to the ICE ban the more manufacturers row back. The EU will have a lot to answer to if they change their minds.