Ever since that time my parents left me waiting outside after school for, like, four hours when I was 8, I’ve basically stopped taking people at their word. When someone says something “will” or “won’t” happen, no matter how much conviction they say it with, I’ll internally operate with cautious optimism until said event is (or isn’t) unfolding before my eyes. Case in point: Porsche and automotive media have spent the past few years mourning the gas-powered 718 Boxster and Cayman because, well, Porsche told us they’d be going away in favor of all-electric successors. Now, though—surprise, surprise—it’s apparently coming back.
According to CEO Oliver Blume on a Friday investor call, Porsche is reacting to the Great EV Slowdown and pivoting back toward more gas-powered cars. As part of this, an official slide deck says “top” versions of the next-gen 718 sports cars (read: GT4 RS and Spyder RS) will still use combustion engines. Other “strategic realignments” include the big, upcoming, flagship, previously electric-only SUV codenamed “K1” now getting gas-only and plug-in hybrid variants, and confirmation that the Cayenne and Panamera’s gas engines will get “major overhauls” and be available “well into the 2030s.”
Specifically, from a press release:
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The product range is to be specifically supplemented by brand-defining vehicle models with combustion engines.
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The existing combustion engine models will remain available for a longer period. New generations of successor models have been added to the Cycle Plan for these vehicle models.
Porsche is also “rescheduling” the development of a planned EV platform that was supposed to happen “in the 2030s.”
“We want to meet new market realities and changing customer demands,” said Blume. “We have seen a clear drop in demand for exclusive battery-electric cars, and we are taking that into account.”
Is the news shocking? Sure. But am I shocked? Hardly.
History shows (and is continuing to show) that, for the foreseeable future at least, previous electrification plans and mandates have been optimistic at best. Nowadays, whenever an automaker says this or that will happen by this year or that year, I don’t doubt that said company will definitely try to make that happen. But take it as gospel? I’ll believe it when I see it.
In my head, the whole “it’s the end of the gas 718s” thing was always “OK, I get why this is happening,” but also “there’s no way this is actually happening.” Have you driven a 718? Or been in the general vicinity of someone who has? They’re brilliant sports cars—lithe and atmospheric to rev out. Even the best electric vehicles, on the other hand, as virtuous and capable as they are as daily drivers, aren’t either those things.
And the market has made its tastes clear. Ask Dodge how that new electric Charger is doing. And while I’m sure Porsche has the capability to engineer one hell of a 718 EV that can boogie almost as well as the old one, the entire premise simply wouldn’t and did not sit well. More cynically, I also suspect there’s simply too much money on the table for the next-gen sports cars to not have an ICE.
I mean, now that Blume has essentially confirmed that an internal combustion engine will indeed fit in the next-gen 718 twins, I’d go as far as predicting that, sure, maybe initially it’ll be confined to the top GT cars, but lower variants like the GTS and maybe even the S or base models will get it eventually.
Oh, and while I’m here making semi-bold predictions: Hemi back in the Charger before 2027. Mark my words.
Topshot: Porsche
I took no chances and grabbed a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0L 6MT while I could. Even with this news, I don’t think that there will be another 6-cylinder naturally aspirated manual transmission Boxster or Cayman ever again. I truly think that the 718 GTS 4.0L and 718 S/GTS 6MT cars are the best all-around sports cars that will ever be made.
So we slowly enter the “gas car is rich guy’s stuff” era
Just look at how the GTS 4.0L prices have crept up since it was introduced in 2021 and it tells the same tale. It’s almost 20%, with no meaningful changes!!!
Not to defend Porsche pricing generally, but I don’t think we need to condemn them specifically. The US inflation calculator has a cumulative rate of 19.6% from 2021 to 2025.
That’s a fair counterpoint, though we don’t usually see prices of cars inflate at the same rate. Porsche in particular has always been the master of charging more for less, as well.
I’ve always said I don’t think EVs in the US will be more than 50% market share anytime soon. EVs might make sense as a second car, but I don’t think most people want one as their only vehicle. Too hard to do road trips with and lots of people street park which isn’t great for charging.
I predict that for the foreseeable future we’ll see both ICE and EV versions of the same car sold simultaneously. People like choice.
Let’s hope the next gen GTS still has a NA flat 6. I really wanted to buy one new and do European delivery, but spending $110k on a car didn’t make sense for me. Maybe in the future my finances will change.
Crazy Idea: Make things people want to buy, and charge them money for it.
Porsche is better than most at doing just that…
People are celebrating this news, but all I’m getting out of it is that the next-gen Cayman/Boxster are going to be unobtainable for us working slobs now.
They have been unobtainable (new anyway) for working slobs for a long time, unless your “work” is upper-middle level management, doctor/lawyer/dentist/sr. engineer/trustafarian or equivalent. I could just about afford one as a sr. engineer/consultant, but only because I have no kids and no mortgage. And even back in 2019 when I almost ordered one for Euro Delivery, a VERY lightly optioned base 718 Cayman was knocking on $80K on the road by the time the taxman was paid off. And now the wankers charge for ED again. Just for giggles I ran though the configurator – well over $95K today for the same on the road. And now the base car is going away completely evidently unless you want a fast golf cart. Yeah, no.
The working man’s sports car is a Miata or a GT86/BRZ. And even those are tough on an actual working man’s salary if they have kiddos and a house payment.
I know they’re unobtainable for most people new, but for years you’ve had the opportunity of buying a depreciated Boxster/Cayman for relatively cheap. That’s likely going away if the only variants worth having are GT4’s and whatever.
The base electric ones will depreciate harder than ever, if the Taycan is anything to go by. Bonus?
Porche plays “Got your nose” with public. A lifetime of trust issues ensues.
“changing customer demands”
For this to be true, customer demands would have had to have changed previously.
They didn’t.
The Venn diagram of “wants Porsche” and “wants electric” has only ever had about three people standing in the middle of it.
The problem is that the Venn Diagram of “Governments who want nothing but electric” in the world is nearly a perfect circle. The consumers are supposed to do as they are told. Except it is turning out that they actually don’t to quite the extent the Governments thought they would.
I think they need to stop talking about making an EV 718.
I have no doubt the great people at Porsche can make a fun, sporty ev. Maybe even a light, relatively affordable one. But this would never be a 718.
I see the resemblance in the meat or vegetarian debate. A vegetarian dish can be absolutely great. But vegetarian chicken wings will never be better than the real thing.
They also announced a new ICE SUV positioned below the Macan based on an Audi FWD platform. That is way more sacrilegious than any Porsche EV will ever be.
No need to fret, the upcoming SUV will be based on the brand new Q5, so it will ride on the new PPC platform (which really is an extensively reworked version of the old MLB Evo platform) so there will be no Porsche SUV running on the Q3/MQB chassis.
What was so controversial about this announcement is the fact that this new Porsche will also inherit Audi’s Quattro Ultra AWD system which in all regards is less sporty and capable than the system currently employed in the ICE Macan. BUT like the new S5/SQ5, I’m sure hotter versions of this new crossover/SUV thing will also stick with the Torsen-based AWD system so really, business as usual.
Unfortunately, “Ultra” is Quattro in name only and has no business being on anything with a Porsche badge.
There’s a reason the Audi forums and Reddit are full of questions regarding which models have “real” Quattro. Nobody who cares about dynamics wants or likes Ultra.
Anything “FWD until loss of traction” or FWD biased in any way should never end up on a Porsche.
Ive not been lucky enough to drive any Porsche, but reading the comments on people who’ve driven both, it’s always sounded like I’d enjoy the 718 over the 911. I’m not upset to hear this news!
I know I’m in the minority, but I have been patiently waiting for a Cayman EV for years now. Guess I will keep waiting.
They’re still making the EV, they’ll just also continue to offer the ICE version
Oh, thanks for clarifying!
It’s kind of wild to read this story right after the one about a Chinese EV being the fastest car in the world now.
Hey, Porsche isn’t about straight line speed. It’s about buying eye wateringly expensive parts to keep your fancy Volkswagen running.
EA825 and EA839 are immortal.
Calling it — chance of a manual.
This is… a hideously expensive decision.
A way to better recoup that is to also offer a manual, and charge appropriately.
There’s virtually nothing to cross shop for this kind of car. Corvette Z06 is it, and the Corvette Z06 has close to no availability outside the US. It’s possible, but not easy.
Moreover, if there’s a manual, well, that’s a way to differentiate further from the Z06.
Everything else is turbocharged, hybrid, heavy, or nowhere near the same class.
They almost have the global market for themselves.
That’s why top-trims only. I can’t imagine these being really less than $200K base.
Given GT3s and Turbos, won’t be hard to bump up against $300K out the door.
… and if they’re good, they’ll sell every one they make. Manuals? Even easier.
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My car is the right size, analog gauges, etc.
Exhaust is meh, but it’s addressable. Front spring rates, and geo, also need tweaks.
Yet if they have a manual that very easily bolts up… makes converting mine easier.
Bring on the next-718 with a motorsport engine and manual, please!
I won’t buy one, but I’ll happily buy a manual transaxle and everything else I need for a conversion from your parts department so I can send it off to BGB Motorsport.
It’s not as expensive as you think. The 718s equipped the big flat-six stick around because that engine family has already been updated to meet new standards along with the rest of Porsche’s ICE GT range. All Porsche has to do is keep making the RS 718s it made before. Maybe they’ll offer a manual from the 911 GT3. Or maybe not.
The flat-four, however, is gone gone gone, and surprisingly it’s not because of emissions. Because the flat-four is limited to such a small application and represents so few sales it’s on the chopping block. Porsche doesn’t want to update it to meet EU cybersecurity regs.
It’s sort of sad because it marks the death of a “budget” ICE Porsche. Yeah, I get you can buy a Macan with an Audi engine but a 4,000 pound hatchback doesn’t scream sports car.
Reference: see 1976 Cadillac Eldorado and the last American convertible ever.
Oh yeah, there’s probably going to be lawsuits from people who paid “market adjustments” over sticker
Lol that slide is so lazy. They couldn’t even be bothered to make different shapes for their future cars.
Yeah, it Porsche. That’s kind of their thing.
What? You can tell one jellybean CUV from another?
We’d all be better off if car manufacturers had the same sense of trust you do. Most just blindly accepted the EV mandate and refused to recognize that the customer base refused to obey the Nazi like diktats of the liberal ruling party. Even though the manufacturer are the cost of the dictator rules the government still relies on the money from sales. Remember how we read so many stories about Japan was behind? Nope just let everyone spend billions went hybrid and proved everyone else incompetent. I also never understood why they thought the same name would translate to the new platform. In addition Stellantis had an excellent opportunity to catch up their decades old platform by spending on a newer platform while ignoring EV. Turns out they ignored both. What morons.
You make some good points but your “the Nazi like diktats of the liberal ruling party” comment sort of hurts your credibility IMHO. The intention of reducing fossil fuels is a noble one for the world, but it was executed poorly. And PHEVs would accomplish probably 80% of those goals much more quickly.
Automakers say this stuff only to appease investors and to make a quick buck selling the “last ones”. They have plans for all types of different future scenarios. I guarantee not one of these corporations actually thought that they would be 100% electric by 2030 or whatever they said.
The OEM I worked for until a few weeks ago was utterly convinced it would be 100% EV by 2030, at least back in 2022ish when it stopped all ICE future models. I saw the plans, I went through the company reorganisations. I retrained to design Electric Drive Units instead of ICEs. You have no idea how boring EDUs are to design.
If you take every short cut you can it still takes three years to engineer a new car. That is the absolute quickest reaction time a car company has. And that product will need to be in production for several years after launch if it’s not to lose money. Anything less than seven years of stable regulations is a disaster.
The mandatory banning of ICE by governments all over the globe with its shifting deadlines and definitions has cost the industry billions in cancelled projects, billions invested in suddenly obsolete new tech, and billions more in package-protecting compromised future products for more sudden government policy changes.
Our farewell tour was so successful we’ve decided to have another farewell tour.
Well, Cher has had about three farewell tours – and is planning another tour for 2026….
…so Porsche has some catching up to do.
The only thing Cher is saying farewell to is the skin and fat that gets sliced and sucked out of her. But in All honesty she has excellent plastic surgeons as she still looks great
The Who have been doing farewell tours since 1978. Their original run was only fifteen years.
I met George Clinton’s wife last year at the TSA line in an airport. I told her I’d seen the farewell tour in 2019 and she said he’s still having them.
Maybe this time they will turn it up to 11.
And the repeated abuse by VW’s claims isn’t the reason for trust issues?
As my Granny from backwoods Georgia (USA) used to say: Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
Doesn’t sound backwoods to me, sounds pretty smart.
Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive 🙂
We could have used more of your Granny’s advice the past 20 years here. Bless her and pass on that wisdom. Good old fashioned critical thinking is getting rare these days.
I’ve not yet read any of the (at least) three articles of yours that got posted today (Saturday) Chris, but before I do I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for them regardless… it’s nice to have some content put up on weekends. Not that I begrudge Autopian staff having weekends off of course, but it’s nice that some stuff is saved for weekend posting so there’s new stuff to enjoy with morning coffee on weekends. 🙂
True I also enjoy the weekend to read any comments posted after I retire on Friday.
+1…
While I was working on relocating my 89-year-old mom to assisted living, I looked forward to catching up on weekends. Now that that’s done, I was running out of stuff to read by Friday night. So, yes, I like having new content to read over the weekend.
My friend’s Audi S4 is low enough that my 68-year-old knees and butt were having a bit of a struggle getting out of his car.
I probably won’t be in the market for a new 718. Nor does this same body feel like I could fully explore the dynamics it would be capable of.
The great thing about all these rescinding of “last ever …” models is they’re making it hard on the speculating buyers.
Just ask 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible buyers how that worked out for them.
Great, indeed. Fuck the speculators.
Those money-grubbers are what made it so hard for me to get a car. I got one, fairly… only after those fuckers got their fill of not making any profit speculating.
I love them getting burned. Every time. More cars for enthusiasts to use.
That picture of the yellow 718 sure makes it look a lot like an MR2 Spyder. Which is ironic since the MR2 was criticized for being a Boxster clone.
That was my reaction as well, “that’s a prettied up MR2 Spyder”. Maybe it’s the yellow.
Really? First was the Boxster, then the MR2 clone, you can’t say the rereleased Boxster looks like the MR2 that was copied from the Boxster.
If you ask me, the MR2 never looked that much like the Boxster, so the comparison was undeserved. But over the years, the Boxster has come to look more and more like the MR2.
The first thing I thought when looking at that photo was: “That’s not a good looking car.”