Next-Gen Porsche 718 Will Get an ICE Version Alongside the EV – Report

Porsche has scrapped its plan to make the next-gen 718 fully electric, as it will be sold alongside an ICE version.

It appears that Porsche has scrapped its plan to make the next-gen 718 Cayman and Boxster fully electric, as the duo will now be sold alongside a full combustion engine version.

According to Autocar UK, senior sources that work at Porsche’s Weissach engineering centre say that the ICE version of the next-gen 718 will use the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) Sport architecture as its battery electric twin. Given that the PPE is built specifically for EVs, Porsche engineers are required to reverse-engineer it to accommodate a mid-mounted engine layout for the new 718.

This move is also said to be part of Porsche’s wider recalibration of its model strategy that saw the Stuttgart-based marque rolling back some of its ambitious EV plans. With the next-gen 718 going both ICE and EV, Porsche aims to ensure maximum production efficiency and volume of scale on key components, as the move will be one of the most radical drivetrain reversals in the automaker’s history.

With this, the next-gen 718 will follow in the footsteps of the new Macan, which was previously billed to go fully electric before Porsche dialed back its plan to now include a combustion version too.

Current-gen Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS (left) & Porsche 718 Spyder RS (right)

That being said, these new PPE Sport-based 718 ICE versions will be different from the new top-spec 718 version that Porsche said was in the works as part of its "strategic realignment." Autocar UK continued by saying that those top-spec 718s are expected to be a mere continuation of the current-gen 718 RS and GT4 RS, where they will sit above the new 718 EVs.

While it may sound quite straightforward, reverse engineering the PPE Sport platform to accommodate an ICE will be a challenge for Porsche, with the automaker insisting the combustion version must achieve equal levels of performance and dynamics with their electric twin in order to make the move viable. With the platform using a flat floor with the battery packs being part of the stress member, removing them for the ICE version would significantly weaken the entire bodyshell, especially for the top-down versions.

As a result, Porsche engineers are reportedly proposing to develop a new structural floor section that bolts into the platform’s existing hard points, while the rear bulkhead and subframe will also be redesigned to support the engine and transmission, Autocar UK has been told.

Speaking of engines, Porsche had previously found that its current 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six ‘Boxer’ engine would not survive the strict Euro 7 emissions proposal, although the final diluted version of the regulation says otherwise. That said, the automaker hasn’t decided on which engine will be used in the new 718, although outgoing CEO Oliver Blume previously suggested the leading candidate is an upgraded version of the 4.0-litre Boxer used on the current 718 GT4 RS.

Source: Autocar UK