The Gas-Powered Porsche Boxster and Cayman Aren’t Dead After All
The next-gen 718 models will offer gas engines, and Porsche’s forthcoming flagship SUV will now launch with gas and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
2022 porsche 718 cayman gt4 rsView Photos
Porsche
Porsche has confirmed there will be gas-powered versions of the next-gen 718 Boxster and Cayman, which were previously planned to be EV-only.
The forthcoming flagship SUV (codenamed “K1”) will now launch with gas and plug-in hybrid powertrains, instead of the initially planned EV version.
These revised plans are part of a “strategic realignment,” which Porsche attributes to slowing EV demand, changes in the Chinese market, and U.S. tariffs.
Production of the current Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman is scheduled to end next month. After those superb gas-fed sports cars are laid to rest, Porsche had planned to replace them with EV-only variants. However, those plans have changed. Last week, the German automaker announced that it will dramatically overhaul its product plans as part of a “strategic realignment” that includes a renewed priority on combustion engines.
That’s great news for fans of the familiar 718 models, as Porsche has now confirmed that the next-generation cars will continue to offer gas models, though they’ll be limited to the top-spec versions. It’s unclear exactly when the upcoming electric versions of the Boxster and Cayman will finally launch, but earlier this year, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said they will arrive in the “medium term.” Of course, the latest news suggests that their timeline remains in flux, as the company said some unnamed EVs will now launch at a later date.
Porsche
The new Porsche Cayenne EV should be revealed in the coming months, and we’ve already driven a prototype version. We also know that—like the Macan compact SUV—both the gas-fed and electric versions of the Cayenne will be built on the same assembly line. Plus, Porsche has confirmed that it will continue to sell combustion and plug-in hybrid examples of the Cayenne and Panamera into the next decade, and it has plans to develop successive generations of each nameplate too.
While Porsche’s existing electric lineup (i.e., the Macan and Taycan) will continue to be updated, the company is taking a detour when it comes to the flagship EV SUV it has been developing. Codenamed “K1,” that model will be larger than the Cayenne. But while it was initially going to have an electric powertrain, Porsche said it will instead arrive with gas-powered and plug-in hybrid variants first; a launch date hasn’t been set.
Porsche also announced that it’s delaying the development of its next-generation EV platform, which was slated to underpin new models in the next decade. That project will now be a joint effort with the entire Volkswagen Group. That move, along with the myriad changes mentioned above, is intended to partially counteract the financial struggles that Porsche attributes to slowing demand for EVs, a declining luxury market in China, and the U.S. tariffs.
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Eric Stafford
Managing Editor, News
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.