You may be like me, in denial about the decline of the global automotive industry (thanks to the gradual elimination of manual transmissions and the rash of EV adoption), but it became clear the canary in the coal mine had already been on life support when Porsche announced that the 718 models (Boxter and Cayman) were going to be replaced by EV sports cars. Now, it seems Porsche will offer ICE engines in the next-gen versions of the 718 after all.
If you recall, Porsche announced in May that the next-gen 718 would not have an ICE replacement, giving you five months to figure out how to purchase Lithium without a prescription. The current crop of 718s are a bit long in the tooth, having originated in 2016, but we’re talking about Porsche here, a company that makes so many marginal improvements to a vehicle that no one thinks, “I can get an identical five-year-old car for less” because it’s simply not true.
Yet this is the same company that went on record saying that the next-gen 718 was going to be electric, which boggles the mind. To a point, that’s not a bad thing because the EV landscape still has plenty of room for promise, and Porsche is likely the beacon of hope in an automotive segment that struggles to be interesting to enthusiasts.
However, several months later, Car and Driver reports that good sense has returned to Porsche, as the company has confirmed that the next-gen 718 will include ICE versions. It is claimed that this is a “strategic realignment” attributed to slowing EV demand, adjustments in the Chinese market, and American tariffs.
The Ann Arbor-based periodical adds that the ICE versions “will be limited to the top-spec versions.” That does not bode well for those who are hoping to stretch a little for their dream car (aka “moi”), though it is in line with the upward march of Porsche’s sports car pricing.
Hopefully, the next-gen, ICE-powered 718s will be available with a manual transmission.
