Denny Swift

Now that Porsche and virtually all other manufacturers have recognized the reality that car enthusiasts do not want EVs, what do you think they will do with a "sub 911" sports car? I put "sub" in quotes because I think the mid engine cars are superior (but that's a different discussion). I expect that the sales of the EV 718 will be extremely poor and that Porsche will have to build a new mid engine ICE or at least hybrid (mild) car IF they want to sell it in any meaningfully numbers. Perhaps they will just.let the whole mid engine line die and let the 911 be their only sports car.

Obviously this is all just a W.A.G. We've beat the whole EV vs ICE argument to death, so no need to rehash that. I'm just curious as to what others think Porsche will do: Build an all new mid engine ICE/hybrid car, scrap the 718 line all together, or just continue with the plans to make the 718 line exclusively EV.

stealthpilot

My guess is nothing. There is no money in it. There is a reason they didnt refresh the 718 when they refreshed the 911. For the previous generations they were refreshed in sync because they share a platform.

Remember the first generation of the Boxster outsold the 911 and saved the company. It was a critical part of the portfolio. Today the 718 does not play a meaningful role in the P&L. It is outsold 2X by the 911. It is the Cayenne and Macan that play that role.

kwazi7

They definitely won't build a new 718 ICE. No chances. The (bulk of worldwide) government regulations don't allow for it. Hybrid, maybe but what a shift that would be. As someone else said, its not a popular line.

I suspect they will just plow forward.. 718 EV next year (for 2026 model years).

Worst case, they will delay it an extra year but that seems crazy. They've done it for 2 years already. They can't sell it in the EU anymore thanks for cyber security regulations.

TXshaggy

I don’t know if these musings are meant to just be rhetorical or not.

PAG, a publicly traded company has already given the on-the-record answer. 718 will be EV only from MY25 forward.

The rest of the Porsche models will follow. As will all other manufacturers in order to meet worldwide zero emissions regulatory mandates. While 2035 is a way off, there are intermediate goals like 60% in EU—PAG was shooting for 80%—for 2030.

Be hard to turn this all off and revert to ICE again. The 718 983 PPE EV cannot accept ICE. So PAG have to commit to all new ICE platform.

I suppose anything is possible, but I suspect the ICE ship has set sail to the graveyard.

Right now people have choices, but soon there won’t be one.

Porsche has carved out an exception for net zero biofuels so maybe GT3 has some sort of ICE life in the future.

CAFE, EV Zero emissions, etc. destroyed sports car market as we know it. Don’t even think Chevy produces a car anymore except Vette

Understand governments talking about rolling back dates, so maybe 911s survive another refresh or two.

Xxyion

I'm still of the mindset that these regulations are not as hard in stone as a lot of people want to believe. Infrastructure is still a major concern globally, not just for the united states. Even in other countries where they are adopting EVs quicker than we are, their charging infrastructure is still lagging behind significantly. And then couple that with the fact that EVs are just not cheap. And while there are some "cheaper" options, there are A LOT of people that just do not have the ability to charge at home or at work. And while the regulations currently state (at least in the US) that no NEW manufactured cars can be ICE, we're going to see the used market shoot up like no tomorrow if that ever comes to pass as there are a lot of people who just cant afford an EV.

I bet that as we get closer to the date, i think people will start to see that the EV market will have slowed and if anything might have started to regress, and then car manufacture companies will start lobbying for either an extension or a push to lighten the restrictions for emissions which would allow for them to push for Hybrid technology which imo was always the way to go.

Not to mention you also have a lot of Japanese car manufactures (Toyota, Mazda) who are basically not even bothering with the whole EV craze. Toyota only has the BZ SUV which they only released to try and capture a bit of the market, but it's a crap vehicle. Mazda has doubled down on their hybrid tech.

As far as what Porsche will do. I think Porsche will keep the 718 an EV platform. Once it comes to light the real future of the car world, then they will make another decision. I dont think they'll let the 718 EV die soon, but as many have stated here, it's taking a super small market and making it even smaller. The only reason you bought a 718 is because you wanted a good handling lightweight sports car that was relativly affordable. With how expensive EV tech is, the 718 is rumored to be more expensive than the outgoing model. Batteries are just heavy and for the 718 to have any decent range, the car is going to be closer to 4000 lbs if not a little over. Mix that with the fact that a Cayman is just not as practical as something like an M2 which will be half the price, it means it's going to be a second car for most. But most people also dont buy EVs as second cars, especially not as the "fun" car.

I think Porsche will just let it die after a lackluster sale year/s. Bt i mean who knows, maybe it sells like hotcakes.

EMpunker

If anything they'll probably kill the 718 line if the EV sales never take off...

Seems like there's less and less demand for "affordable" compact 2 seat sports cars these days...

Xxyion

at the risk of turning this down a road we dont want, a lot of it really has to do with the state of the economy nowadays. With more and more wealth being hoarded by the top earners in this country less and less people will buy a sports car as most of the time they can only afford 1 car and need it to be practical and efficient. A lot of younger people that i know at this point almost refuse to even buy a cheap car at this point and will rely on public transportation and/or riding their bicycle as its "cheaper".

That being said i also think America has this weirdly insane infatuation with big SUVs. I know single people who decided to buy an SUV as their car rather than something like a sedan. I dont quite know when that marketing shift happened but SUVs and Trucks are the hottest sellers in the US market by a long shot and i'm sure that has a lot to do with it. Had we kept like the Europeans and preferred small hot hatches to be our practical cars i think we'd see a wider desire for small 2-seater sports cars.