Porsche to retrofit EV platform for petrol 718 Boxster and Cayman.
Engineers reworking structure to support flat-six engine.
Euro 7 rule changes enable internal combustion comeback.
Porsche is in the process of a full-on 180-degree turn on its electric-only plans for the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman, with the company now preparing to reintroduce petrol engines into the platform originally developed for electric vehicles.
The fourth-generation 718 ceased production in November 2025, with bespoke electric-only successors planned for 2026. However, in response to declining EV demand, Porsche has begun adapting the new PPE Sport platform, designed initially exclusively for battery power, to support mid-mounted internal combustion engines.
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This change of direction follows a major strategy shift first announced in September, which included a rollback of electrification plans and a £6.65 billion ($12.25 billion CDN) financial write-down. At that time, Porsche confirmed it would continue producing high-performance variants of the current 718 generation, likely the RS and GT4 RS, as a stopgap ahead of the new model line.
According to engineers at Porsche’s Weissach development centre, the return to petrol will preserve production efficiency and scale. The engineering team is now focused on overcoming the challenges of fitting an engine into a platform designed without a central tunnel or fuel infrastructure. To restore structural integrity lost by removing the PPE’s load-bearing battery pack, Porsche is developing a new floor section and a revised rear structure to house the engine and transmission.
The target is to match the driving dynamics of the EV models, which benefit from a low centre of gravity. Engineers are reworking the architecture to support equivalent performance while accommodating conventional drivetrain components.
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Changes to European Union emissions rules support the return to ICE development. US emission rules being rolled back also help. The final Euro 7 regulations are less restrictive than earlier proposals, and a post-2035 exemption for e-fuels now allows carmakers to consider long-term petrol-powered models. Porsche had previously ruled out further development of its naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six due to compliance issues, but the updated rules now make its continued use feasible.
A revised version of that engine, which produces up to 493 horsepower in the 718 GT4 RS, is currently the leading candidate for the new fifth-generation models. The upcoming petrol-powered 718s are separate from the current-generation “top” variants, which will remain in production.
These new ICE models are expected to launch later in the decade, and similar reversals may follow for other Porsche nameplates such as the Macan, which was also intended to become EV-only.
Source: Autocar
