Porsche will include a combustion engine option for “top” versions of the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman as part of a significant shift in the company’s electric strategy that also kills the planned large ‘K1’ electric SUV above the Cayenne.
The new ‘strategic realignment’ also confirms major overhauls for the Cayenne and Panamera combustion engine and plug-in hybrid models to keep them running “well into the 2030s’, CEO Oliver Blume said on a call to investors late on Friday 19 Sept.
Porsche will take a €1.8 billion hit on a decision to halt development of the SSP 61 ‘Sport’ version of the Volkswagen Group platform that was going to underpin the K1 large SUV as well as an electric replacements for the Panamera and the Taycan. The SSP Sport platform – derived from the platform underneath mainstream VWG models including the next Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia – has now been postponed until “well into the 2030s”, Blume said
The K1 model – dubbed a 'D-SUV' by Porsche – will now be launched with combustion-engine and plug-in hybrid variants, Porsche said, without giving a precise date. The K1 was first announced in 2022, along with plans for the third-generation Porsche Panamera and second-generation Porsche Taycan.
“We have seen a clear drop in demand for exclusive battery-electric cars, and we are taking that into account,” Blume said.
Porsche has also been roiled by “dramatically decreasing” demand for luxury goods in China, Blume said. Also hitting profits was the US decision to increase tariffs on imported cars.
The company said the combination of circumstances will cut its predicted net profit margin to around 2% this year but predicted a return to growth in the ‘medium-term’ when it planned to grow margins back above 10% with the new products rolling out
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The 718 bit surprised me. I read the Porsche investor press release in full, and could not see any mention of any variant of 718 continuing to be offered with ICE. Maybe Autocar could clarify this revelation as it's pretty big news for many sports car enthusiasts. My P cars sales manager says they have no allocations in 2026 for 718, and as far as he is aware the cars cease production this month.
Interesting news! It sounds like Porsche is adapting to market demand. Holding onto combustion engines for the 718 and K1 makes sense if EV demand isn't as high as initially projected. It’s a smart move to diversify the powertrain options. This reminds me of how strategies can shift unexpectedly, a bit like navigating the challenges in Slope Game. You think you're going in one direction, and then BAM, an obstacle forces you to adjust! Hopefully, this realignment works out well for them in the long run.
Perhaps your 'Porsche friends' aren't as knowledgeable as you think, maybe they should stick to making the tea.
Maybe, but the headline reads "Porsche 718 Boxster, Cayman to keep petrol options", yet 718 production ceases in October and the replacement EV's are not 718's?
This article has more holes than Swiss cheese. In summary, Porsche will launch the EV Boxster/Cayman as planned, but will reserve the RS models as ICE?Firstly, the EV chassis will not accomodate ICE engines, so that means they'll use the existing 718 platform - but this has just been discontinued. So do they develop a new ICE chassis just for a few RS models?? HIGHLY UNLIKELY.
Did Autocar bother to check their own logic?
Did Autocar bother to check their own logic?
Of course not, it's another article containing "Weapons Grade B0110CZ!"
There's a screenshot of the Porsche slidedeck in the story saying 'addition: top ICE derivatives for new 718'. Come on guys!
My thoughs also. The 718 production line is as we write, in the process of being wound down (a process that started in May). Porsche head of production confirmed at the recent Munich motor show that 718 production ends in October 2025, and we all know that Potsche has stated that the 718 platform cannot be re-worked to accomodade current EU legislation. Porsche USA dealers have been unable to order or spec any remaining allocations since 1st September, and they have zero allocations for 2026.
So it's had to see how the Spyder RS and Cayman GT4RS can continue on the existing platform, or as you point out on the new platform as this is engineered from day one as a pure EV. Finally, I read every word of Friday's investor press release and confess I could not see where they said an ICE Boxster or Cayman was confirmed, something which if true would likely be a huge launch event and not quietly slipped into an investor press release on a Friday evening.
Autocar used to have a decent record of revealing car news first, and accurately, this piece of news I question. Maybe someone had to much soda with their Happy Meal?
There's a screenshot of the Porsche slidedeck in the story saying 'addition: top ICE derivatives for new 718'. Come on guys!
This article has more holes than Swiss cheese. In summary, Porsche will launch the EV Boxster/Cayman as planned, but will reserve the RS models as ICE?Firstly, the EV chassis will not accomodate ICE engines, so that means they'll use the existing 718 platform - but this has just been discontinued. So do they develop a new ICE chassis just for a few RS models?? HIGHLY UNLIKELY.
Did Autocar bother to check their own logic?