Consider the upcoming Porsche Taycan to be the first of many fully-electrified Porsches. According to Automotive News Europe, the German automaker is putting plans in place to switch to full-electric powertrains for its sedans and SUVs over the course of the next decade. The upcoming 992 generation of the 911 is expected to offer a plug-in hybrid variant in 2023, but its flat-six isn’t going anywhere.
But what about the 718 Boxster and Cayman? Do they even have a future considering the coupe and roadster segments are particularly challenging to make a profit from?
The answer is yes, but Porsche may be ready to do something quite drastic: an all-electric 718 lineup. Auto News Europe learned about this possibility from Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke, who stated the Taycan was “only the beginning” of electrification. Obviously that’s nothing new, but this is the first we’ve heard of the 718 ditching internal combustion. “Pilot projects that we have run since 2010 have clearly shown that pure electrification would be feasible in such a segment,” Meschke said.
Before any 718 EV arrives, Porsche will launch more mainstream EVs.
“It’s very likely that a (battery-powered) SUV will come by 2022. There is no final decision yet, but you can expect that this will be the case because we need a large-volume model that is fully electric,” Meschke further announced. “This idea will then progress further with the next generations of the Panamera and Cayenne model lines. The direction for the large four-door models will be toward full electrification.”
It’s also important to remember that Porsche acquired a 10 percent stake in Rimac last summer, thus providing access to much-needed performance and driving-focused EV technologies. It has also ended diesel models in favor of electrification. As for the 911, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has ruled out an all-electric 911, at least under his watch.
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