Porsche once dreamt EVs would make up over 80 percent of its annual sales by the end of the decade, a goal reaffirmed most recently in March 2024. However, that target is now looking increasingly unrealistic. Zuffenhausen has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to internal combustion by launching a first-gen Macan replacement with a gasoline engine in a few years. Additionally, the Panamera and Cayenne will keep ICE well into the 2030s.
According to a new report from Automobilwoche (subscription required), Porsche may have hit pause on a couple of key EV projects. The electric 718 and a new three-row SUV have reportedly been delayed, not only due to weaker-than-expected demand for EVs, but also because of the bankruptcy of battery supplier Northvolt. The setback allegedly affects the launch of the electric Boxster/Cayman duo and the flagship SUV planned to slot above the Cayenne.
In Porsche’s defense, it never provided a firm date for the next-gen 718’s arrival. When we spoke with spokesperson Stefan Mayr-Uhlmann in March, he indicated the EV sports cars were due “mid-decade.” He also noted the electric Boxster/Cayman would launch after the Cayenne EV. The 718 EV was supposed to come out first, but that order has since been reversed. The electric SUV is now scheduled to debut later this year.
Still, Automobilwoche’s suggested 2027 release date for the electric 718 would be significantly later than “mid-decade.” In the meantime, it’s already been nearly a year since Porsche pulled the plug on the gas-powered Boxster and Cayman in European markets due to new cybersecurity regulations. Limited-run versions like the Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster RS Spyder are exempt. Production of the current-generation 718 models is set to end later this year, as confirmed by Porsche’s production boss Albrecht Reimold in a July 2024 interview with Automobilwoche. If the timeline holds, Porsche will be without a Boxster or Cayman in its portfolio for roughly two years.
Three-row Porsche electric SUV rendering by Motor1
As for the large SUV, Porsche first teased the project three years ago during a press conference. Codenamed “K1,” the new model will ride on the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) Sport platform developed in-house. CEO Oliver Blume has described the upcoming flagship as delivering “strong performance,” featuring “automated driving functions,” and a “completely new experience” inside the cabin.
But Automobilwoche now reports that the K1 won’t launch until the end of the decade. We reckon it’s likely one of the models Porsche originally envisioned strictly as an EV, but may now be reconsidering for a hybrid or ICE setup. Last November, then-CFO Lutz Meschke hinted at this shift in direction:
“We are currently looking at the possibility of the originally planned all-electric vehicles having a hybrid drive or a combustion engine. We are currently in the middle of making conceptual decisions. What is clear is that we are sticking with the combustion engine for much longer.”
Meanwhile, Porsche recently walked back its plans to ramp up battery production at wholly owned Cellforce subsidiary, citing the “slower ramp-up of electromobility.” However, the company did acquire V4Drive GmbH from Varta earlier this year. Their cylindrical cells are already being used in the new 911 GTS, and additional models are expected to follow. There’s speculation that the next GT2 RS will also feature some level of electrification.
Even so, Porsche has firmly stated that a fully electric 911 won’t arrive before 2030. Who would want one anyway? We might as well be asking the same question for the 718.
Source:
Automobilewoche (subscription required)