Is Porsche rethinking its electric future? It seems so, because gasoline still has a lot of pull among consumers, so it looks like the legendary brand is taking a step back from its message, and its strategy, of wanting a 100 percent electric future for the brand.
But it is not all about saying goodbye to electric cars, because the platform of this new generation of Porsche could also be adapted to continue creating combustion vehicles. Once again, gasoline is at the center of the debate, and the replacement models for the Boxster and the Cayman are still on the way. Zuffenhausen is clear that, no matter how much green revolution there is, buyers want combustion in sports cars.
Porsche hits the brakes
It was in 2022 when the brand announced that the future Boxster and Cayman would be electric. Everything was perfectly orchestrated for that to happen, regulatory pressure, global trends, brand image.
But the reality of the market has been harsher on the industry, and although EVs are being adopted little by little, it is not at the pace anyone expected, and much less among sports car buyers, who expect a roar when they drive these cars, and the feeling that the steering wheel vibrates and has weight.
Gasoline is still key
Within Porsche itself, they acknowledge that combustion engines are still necessary to compete in the most emotional segment. In fact, the brand had already confirmed that some top versions of the Boxster and the Cayman would return to using gasoline, at least as a temporary solution, but maybe they will stay much longer than expected.
And the electric platform?
According to rumors, Porsche is reengineering its PPE Sport platform, which was originally going to be electric, so that it can also house combustion engines. The brand’s flagship large SUV, which was going to be fully electric, is also being adapted to accept combustion versions. The step back, as you can see, has been huge.
Less ideology, more numbers
Adapting an electric platform for gasoline engines is neither cheap nor simple, but doing the math, Porsche has realized that it is more profitable than developing a new architecture only for combustion. The market asks for what it asks for, and for now, it is not electric vehicles, at least not from Porsche.
The return of the gasoline Boxster and Cayman
In 2024, the Boxster and the Cayman disappeared from many European markets for not complying with the new EU cybersecurity regulations. Porsche decided not to update them because their life cycle was coming to an end and it was an unnecessary expense, but now they may come back to life, although for very specific versions.
The RS as a bridge between two worlds
Models like the Cayman GT4 RS or the Boxster RS Spyder could return in limited editions, coexisting with the new electric versions. They would be the step between the combustion era and the electric era, allowing gasoline use to be stretched until at least the end of the decade.
The timeline of the new Porsche 718
The electric Porsche 718 models are still moving forward and should debut in the market soon, but the reality is that there is still no date, because the new platform is estimated for 2030. After that, the gasoline RS versions would arrive, and the full integration of combustion engines, but that is still far off.
They are not abandoning electrification, but they are not willing to sell at a loss, and even worse, to lose identity along the way. And yes, they are still working on the indirect successor to the Macan, even if the electric one follows its own path.
A message for the entire industry
The European market is not yet ready to make the full leap to electrification, and Porsche has made that clear. The transition cannot be the same or linear for everyone, and measures have to be taken before money starts being lost.