ALL-NEW PORSCHE 718 EVS TO BE REWORKED FOR PETROL

Porsche will install petrol power into its previously electric-only new duo

- GREG KABLE

Porsche is preparing to adapt its next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman platform to accept petrol engines, in an abrupt U-turn on plans for the models to go EV-only.

Production of the fourth-gen Boxster and Cayman ended last month, with new bespoke electric versions due this year. But with EV demand waning, Porsche had already announced it would continue selling “top” variants - tipped to be the RS and GT4 RS versions - of the current models. That was part of a “strategic realignment" that included Porsche rolling back a number of EV plans, taking a £6.65bn hit in the process.

Now, senior sources at the company's Weissach engineering centre have told Autocar that Porsche is also working on returning the petrol duo to the lineup by reverse-engineering the EV-only PPE Sport platform, developed for the 2026 electric successors, to accommodate a mid-mounted engine.

The move is aimed at ensuring maximum production efficiency and volume of scale on key components and it represents one of the most radical drivetrain reversals in Porsche's history. It follows the route taken by other car makers, including Fiat with the 500 hybrid and Mercedes-Benz with the Viano.