Porsche Is Developing Even More Gas Versions Of The Next-Gen 718 Boxster/Cayman That Was Supposed To Be EV-Only

Back in 2022, Porsche announced that the next generation of the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman would go electric-only. We weren’t entirely sure how well that would go at the time, but hey, it was Porsche. If anyone could figure out how to make an electric sports car drive well, that would be the automaker to do it. As with so many plans made before Trump got reelected, though, it sounds like that one’s gone out the window, too. According to Autocar, while the electric 718 is still coming, Porsche plans to offer several gas versions, too. 

If that sounds like news you’ve already heard before, that’s because a couple of months ago, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told investors that the top performance versions of the upcoming 718 would get gas engines. On a certain level, that made sense, since those buyers are more likely to value a low curb weight and the sound of an actual exhaust. Even if it made those cars more expensive and slower in a straight line, they probably have the disposable income to pay for it. Plus, keeping the GT4 and GT4 RS buyers happy makes Porsche a lot of money, while also making sure they remain loyal to the brand. 

Apparently, the initial plan was to use the 982 platform to continue building the high-performance, gas-powered 718s, while the electric versions rode on the new EV platform. However, according to Autocar, Porsche engineers are now trying to rework the platform to accommodate a mid-mounted engine and planning more than just a gas-powered GT4 RS. If they can pull it off, that does at least open the door to a new Cayman S with an engine and, perhaps most importantly, a manual transmission. As you can imagine, that’s not so easy when you’re working with a platform that was never designed to have room for an engine. As Autocar put it:

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.

Major packaging constraints remain, not least because the electric structure provides no central tunnel, nor provision for a fuel tank, fuel lines or exhaust system. Engineers suggest these measures require the development of a completely new rear section because the architecture was never designed for a petrol engine.

There’s still the question of whether or not the gas version will drive as well as the electric one, since the platform was never supposed to carry an engine in the first place. But if you’d already written the next 718 off because it wouldn’t have an engine, it sounds like you may still be able to get one, even if you don’t have GT4 RS money.