All-new Porsche 718 will have ICE and EV, but perhaps not concurrently

The next-generation Porsche Boxster and Cayman will reportedly be offered with petrol power after all. Porsche is understood to be reverse-engineering the EV-specific PPE Sport architecture to accommodate some sort of internal combustion engine (ICE) and all the associated mechanicals.

According to a new report by Autocar, the Stuttgart sports car specialist has completely backflipped on its plans to offer the new-generation 718 range as electric vehicles (EV), so much so the current ‘top’ variants like the RS and GT4 RS are expected to continue indefinitely.

The British outlet cited ‘senior sources’ within Porsche’s Weissach engineering centre, who are supposedly trying to rework the PPE Sport platform for a mid-mounted internal combustion engine, with the ICE versions expected to be sold alongside EVs.

Said sources also claim the petrol versions will only be viable if they have the same level of dynamic ability as the electric ones – a tough ask given they started with an EV-specific platform that uses the battery pack as a stressed member of the body shell.

“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,” Autocar said.

“A redesigned rear bulkhead and subframe will then support the engine and transmission.”

A completely new rear section would be needed to accommodate the exhaust, fuel tank and etc.

At this stage, it’s still expected the electric variants will make their global debut next year, but we’re yet to see or hear of a timeline for the petrols.

For now, updated RS and GT4 RS versions will sit atop the portfolio as they did before but will ultimately be superseded… eventually.

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