Porsche Exec Leaves Door Open for Future ICE Models
Just a couple years ago, many automakers were touting lofty electrification targets for the end of the decade. These days, however, car companies across the globe have begun softening their stance on a pure electric vehicle approach, as growth in the EV space hasn't matched some previous assumptions. The latest voice to join the chorus: Porsche, which is making clear that, while it may be in the midst 0f pushing forward with electric vehicles, it still intends to stick by internal combustion vehicles if that's what buyers want.
In a recent investor call, Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke acknowledged the continued desire for internal combustion powertrains in the premium and luxury segments, going as far as to suggest that Porsche’s plans to keep that option open to customers go beyond initial expectations.
Porsche had previously committed to an 80/20 sales mix favoring electric vehicles by 2030, but walked that decision back this past July. While the automaker now maintains that it is set up to meet those figures if required, it only intends to do so if the customer demand is there to meet them. Meschke further noted that Porsche has plenty of flexibility at Zuffenhausen to run different powertrain varieties down the production line, which makes a blended lineup less challenging. A similar approach may be adopted in development of upcoming models.
"When it comes to research and development, you’ll see more flexibility in the upcoming years,” said Meschke. “We will develop new combustion-engined derivatives of electrified cars in order to give the right answer to customer demand."
Much has been made online of that quote, but some context is required. Meschke hasn’t confirmed the survival of soon-to-be defunct models like the 718 Cayman/Boxster or gas-powered Macan. Both nameplates in their current form do not meet upcoming European cybersecurity regulations, which is one reason Porsche is opting to replace them with fully-electric models. That investment and development is already done, and it’s unlikely we’ll see other announced EVs change course to ICE power at this late date. It's also worth noting that Porsche generally uses "electrified" when speaking about its plug-in hybrid vehicles. That said, the sentiment does highlight the brand’s attention to customer preferences.
Porsche customers can already get their hands on the Macan EV, which rides on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture shared with Audi. The electronics architecture of that platform was leveraged by VW Group to create the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), which is more closely related to the current MLBevo platform that underpins the current Macan. Should the sales of the electrified Macan prove untenable for the automaker’s long term success, it is possible they could consider tooling up a gasoline-powered model on the PPC architecture. Still, there’s nothing to suggest this is already in the works — and quickly developing a whole new model, even using a shared architecture, would be costly.
The idea are even more difficult when looking at the Boxster and Cayman. Future ICE versions can’t easily use a shared platform with any other VW Group models, given their mid-engined layout, and retrofitting the pure EV platform of the 718 replacement to fit a gasoline motor seems all but impossible, given the specific design of said platform. The odds of Porsche investing in an entirely new ICE sports car platform after 2025 seems highly unlikely at the present juncture.
Of course, Porsche has other models that still use ICE power. Both the Cayenne and the Panamera have recently been refreshed, and should have no issue sticking around as we enter that 2030 timeline. It's possible we could see the combustion versions of these models stick around even as fully-electric variants arrive wearing the same nameplate, much as Porsche did for the Macan — especially given the brand's heavy investment in plug-in hybrid setups for those models. Advanced PHEV powertrains could help carry the Panamera and Cayenne forward with internal combustion well into the next decade.
As for Porsche's sports car icon, the brand has already confirmed that it will sell gasoline-powered variants of the 911 for as long as possible, with the recent debut of the 922.2-generation car showing how the company plans to slow-walk hybrid technology into the model. The next version of the car should be due around 2030, which could bring further changes to the storied nameplate in the pursuit of preserving combustion engines. Still, Porsche says the last internal-combustion car it sells will be a 911 — and that seems like the sort of promise Zuffenhausen will stand by.
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