New Porsche 718 to swap electric power for petrol in top-tier models

It has been confirmed that top-spec derivatives of the new Porsche 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman sports cars will ditch electric powertrains for a pure-petrol engine. The move comes as the brand realigns its range to suit changing market conditions, and should see the reintroduction of models such as the GT4, Spyder and GT4 RS in the future line-up. 

Porsche’s upcoming 718 has been a point of contention since the announcement that it would swap internal-combustion engines for a fully electric set-up. Until this point, though, the brand had remained committed to the technology. 

However, Porsche has now announced that ‘top ICE derivatives’ will now join the new 718 range, a decision that brings with it a complex set of engineering challenges. If you’re in the market for a sports car, why not check out the 718 Boxsters and 718 Caymans currently available through the Auto Express Buy a Car service. 

The 718’s bespoke platform was designed to fit a block of batteries behind the driver, with a high-powered e-motor then to the front and rear axles. This layout was favoured over a more ‘traditional’ skateboard-style layout, because it would allow Porsche to mount the seats low in the chassis, while also more accurately mimicking the weight balance of its ICE-powered mid-engined models. 

The question now is whether Porsche has designed the chassis to be flexible enough to fit an ICE-engine without significant modifications. The flat-six layout of classic high-performance Porsche models can be quite flexible, but fitting it into the upcoming 718 would represent a huge investment that would need to be paid back with a relatively low-volume collection of models. 

What engines will be fitted is also still unknown, but it’ll almost certainly be Porsche’s iconic flat-six. It will need to adhere to Euro 7 emissions standards, which means technology such as Porsche’s T-Hybrid system might need to be integrated. However, the fate of naturally aspirated powertrains as featured in today’s GT4 and Spyder will be much harder to predict – unless Porsche has something up its sleeve for future GT models, including future 911 GT3s. 

This decision to develop ICE 718s will also help add scale to other powertrain elements that face a tough future, such as manual transmissions and other chassis tech. How much these high-spec sports cars will have to cost in order to pay the huge engineering bill is the question that will still need answering – but it’ll be a lot. 

This decision won’t affect other 718 models, which despite some delays due to complications around Posche’s battery supplier, will arrive in 2027. The new 718’s chassis will also go on to underpin Audi’s forthcoming electric sports car previewed by the Concept C – a model that could well beat the Porsche to market. These top ICE models will then join sometime after, possibly in 2028 or 2029.

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