The Future Little Porsche will Indeed Have a Thermal Engine
AUTO: The new generations of Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman will exist in thermal versions. And some are speculating about the adoption of technology ushered in by the 911
A few years ago, Porsche was one of the most profitable automobile brands in the world. Today, she flirts with the financial precipice, due to an unfortunate convergence of falling sales in China, of customs tariffs from the Americans and –need we repeat? – of a bet on electric which doesn’t pay.
One way to correct the situation is to review the plans, in particular that of replacing the “baby Porsches” Cayman and Boxster by new exclusively electric generations. Finally, the engineers’ mission is to review their copy so that the new 718s are also offered with “a real engine”, always in a central position. But then, what engine?
T-Hybrid
Our colleagues at Autocar think they know: to limit development costs and, of course, meet European emissions standards, the choice would logically fall on the recent engine Porsche 911 GTS, namely an entirely new six-cylinder hybrid design.
We certainly do not know the dimensions of the future small Porsche, but we know that, despite its relative compactness, the engine in question remains quite bulky. Wouldn’t it be easier –and less expensive– to transfer technology hybrid, with among other things this brilliant electric turbo which provides the sensations of an atmospheric engine, to the flat-4 which equipped the 718 of previous generations?
In either case, there will once again be a small gasoline Porsche in the catalog, which should help boost the brand’s sales.
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