[shades80]

From Evo

Porsche has already confirmed the next Macan will be a pure electric car and that the Taycan-based Cross Turismo concept will arrive in production form in 2020, and Blume is clear that Porsche has to build the right cars for the right markets. So while Europe and the US has little time for the four-cylinder Boxster and Cayman models, China can’t get enough of them. And conversely the US and Europe wants a return to a six-cylinder Boxster/Cayman, for which a new six-cylinder engine will soon be confirmed. He also said that within 12 months Porsche has to make a decision on an electric-only Boxster/Cayman. ‘We have to turn left or right if we make a new platform for an electric sports car. We have to make that decision soon.’
So I think Porsche will be discontinuing the 4T, in some markets, and detuning the new 6 down to the base car. Plus, it wasn’t really the engine, it was the lack of Porsche sound.
IMHO

 

[Wine.O]

Meh, I like my low end torque. Happy with what I've got (until there's an electric Boxster to be had).

 

[DPC]

Sales of the 981 six cyclinders were very dismal. This will be a BIG mistake. Not only from a sales point, but also from a performance point. The detuned six will probably sound great, but its performance will be a dud ( sad torque) compared to any of the 4 bangers. Its always a mistake to go backwards. Porsche dealers are sure lucky they have Macans and Cayennes.

 

[Viffermike]

Plus, it wasn’t really the engine, it was the lack of Porsche sound.
IMHO

Your 'humble opinion' is poorly formed because 718 sales have essentially followed the same pattern as 981 sales, and the two-seat sports car market has been dwindling slowly in nearly every market worldwide except for China.

Among other reasons. PLEASE don't believe everything you read. Especially from a demonstrably biased U.K. car mag. Also, pray tell: How is the Taycan going to have 'that Porsche sound'? :: rolls eyes ::

Many of the next-gen Boxster/Cayman-class models may have a 6 primarily because by that time, the 911 will be a much different offering than it is now (read: hybridized over at least part of the model range), and Porsche needs to use the 6 somewhere to make its development worthwhile. With increasing electrification across the marque (Taycan, Macan, etc.) creating more 'headroom' in marque-based emissions mandates, a less-efficient 6 would be a viable alternative for a short time ...

... because at this point, my money is on the next-gen Boxster/Cayman to also be partially hybridized by the 2023 or 2024 model year.

 

[Silversword]

Id like the 982 to be the last purely gasoline variant. Just for the "purists" to have a good moan about...

 

[shades80]

Your 'humble opinion' is poorly formed because 718 sales have essentially followed the same pattern as 981 sales, and the two-seat sports car market has been dwindling slowly in nearly every market worldwide except for China.

Among other reasons. PLEASE don't believe everything you read. Especially from a demonstrably biased U.K. car mag. Also, pray tell: How is the Taycan going to have 'that Porsche sound'? :: rolls eyes ::

Many of the next-gen Boxster/Cayman-class models may have a 6 primarily because by that time, the 911 will be a much different offering than it is now (read: hybridized over at least part of the model range), and Porsche needs to use the 6 somewhere to make its development worthwhile. With increasing electrification across the marque (Taycan, Macan, etc.) creating more 'headroom' in marque-based emissions mandates, a less-efficient 6 would be a viable alternative for a short time ...

... because at this point, my money is on the next-gen Boxster/Cayman to also be partially hybridized by the 2023 or 2024 model year.

Oliver Blume made those comments and stated the Taycan will have optional exhaust Porsche sports car sound.
I agree the market is small and maybe there will only be one car with a 6 or even a 6T, cost more, be great and i would buy that one before electric. But he did say will be a new 6 not yet confirmed. My 11 987.2 CS is still great and was better then the 981 or 718 I drove. So I’m hoping for more greatness out of the 982.2 or what they call it.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

I'm happy I bought one when I did. I actually may go out and buy one or two more pure petrol Porsche offerings if the OP can be confirmed, and stash them in a storage facility. They'll be worth a fortune.

Who in their right mind wants a hybrid or totally electric Porsche? It will be a Porsche in name only. The heritage will be gone.

Heck I'll squeeze lemons for the oil, if they stop pumping fuel. They'll have to rip my petrol burning vehicles from my dirty greasy hands before I give them up ?

 

[GTS18BGTS]

Oliver Blume made those comments and stated the Taycan will have optional exhaust Porsche sports car sound.

That is really sad. ?

 

[jimmuller]

Who in their right mind wants a hybrid or totally electric Porsche?

Well, if an all-electric Cayman had been available with equivalent or better power and handling I would have considered one. I love the low-end torque, the overall form factor, the aesthetics. To get the same package with a Taycan power train (but without that much weight) would be great.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

Well, if an all-electric Cayman had been available with equivalent or better power and handling I would have considered one. I love the low-end torque, the overall form factor, the aesthetics. To get the same package with a Taycan power train (but without that much weight) would be great.

Jim don't you think they should at least call it something other than a Cayman? I mean it would be nothing like a Cayman except in name and appearance. Actually have you ever driven an EV or been a passenger in one? Very odd experience. It's like a golf cart except faster and it can go on the freeway. It's not really for me. But to each their own I guess.

 

[roundtail]

I'm happy I bought one when I did. I actually may go out and buy one or two more pure petrol Porsche offerings if the OP can be confirmed, and stash them in a storage facility. They'll be worth a fortune.

Who in their right mind wants a hybrid or totally electric Porsche? It will be a Porsche in name only. The heritage will be gone.

Heck I'll squeeze lemons for the oil, if they stop pumping fuel. They'll have to rip my petrol burning vehicles from my dirty greasy hands before I give them up ?

Bravo! I second that emotion ?

 

[ritchieg]

After owning a 981 Boxster and now a 718 Boxster I will never buy a 6 cylinder Boxster in the future. The low end torque is one of the things that makes the 718 such a thrill to drive. You will never get that in a 6. I have a friend that has a Tesla and after driving it I didn't get the thrill out of it I do with my 718 even though it is faster to 60 than the 718. My wife has agreed that when Porsche announces the end of the turbo 4 Boxster we will trade for one of the last ones made and since I am 80 keep it until my end.

 

[DPC]

Your 'humble opinion' is poorly formed because 718 sales have essentially followed the same pattern as 981 sales, and the two-seat sports car market has been dwindling slowly in nearly every market worldwide except for China.

Among other reasons. PLEASE don't believe everything you read. Especially from a demonstrably biased U.K. car mag. Also, pray tell: How is the Taycan going to have 'that Porsche sound'? :: rolls eyes ::

Many of the next-gen Boxster/Cayman-class models may have a 6 primarily because by that time, the 911 will be a much different offering than it is now (read: hybridized over at least part of the model range), and Porsche needs to use the 6 somewhere to make its development worthwhile. With increasing electrification across the marque (Taycan, Macan, etc.) creating more 'headroom' in marque-based emissions mandates, a less-efficient 6 would be a viable alternative for a short time ...

... because at this point, my money is on the next-gen Boxster/Cayman to also be partially hybridized by the 2023 or 2024 model year.

If they offer a 6cyl NA 718 that ( torque and power wise) competes with the 718 models, that kind of leaves the spyders and GT4s out in the cold.

 

[roundtail]

I'm pretty sure I'm about to ruffle a few feathers, but here goes anyway.

Allow me to be blunt: Electric cars are a scam; they're nothing more than an appeasement to government regulators and politicians.

I don't care what the companies say, or how authors "rave" about their racetrack "accomplishments". It's all window dressing.

Before Elon Musk went to D.C. and got himself a boatload of OPM (L.A. Times headline: "Elon Musk's Growing Empire is Fueled by $4.9 Billion in Government Subsidies") so he could ramp up RFGCC, Inc. (Really Fast Golf Carts Company), no one was writing articles pining away and praying that someone, anyone, would replace all the Otto Cycle sports cars in the world with electrics (or figure out how to shut down half their cylinders...but I digress). The electric car is a creation of marketing and politics, not demand nor engineering advances.

Consider: Why EVs at all? Range? ? Endurance? ? No, they're green! ?

Bull. They merely have MUCH longer fuel lines. The power still has to come from somewhere. Solar panels? Windmills? Good luck. Then there's all the environmental impact that comes with building the car, its batteries, transmission lines, etc., etc., and it's a cinch that none of it was (or will be) produced exclusively with "renewables" - at best, a tiny fraction. But that's a discussion for another place, another time.

Meanwhile,

Dear Porsche Driver, this is the EU speaking. To save the planet, you may only drive your Taycan when the wind is blowing (at requisite speed, that is) or the sun is shining (brightly, that is). And by the bye, the A/S/S defeat button on your ghastly 9-something model is now illegal and will be deactivated upon your next service visit. Have a nice day, and enjoy your newly mandated 30-minute driving window.

Cheers!

(Edited for spelling)

 

[roundtail]

because at this point, my money is on the next-gen Boxster/Cayman to also be partially hybridized by the 2023 or 2024 model year.

Before that, I expect a 982.2, featuring a lineup beginning with Boxter-T/Cayman-T as the entry or base version and utilizing the 2.0L four; following that the S version, utilizing a de-rated version of the new EVO six debuting in the GT4/Spyder, and relying on its cylinder-bank-deactivation (what a concept for a sports car ?) to achieve the MPG the fours were built for.

My reasoning for keeping the four in the U.S. is because of the Asian demand. Porsche came out of bankruptcy owing to the crossfleet application of parts. It would probably not be economically feasible to produce it just for Asia. And it would give them legitimate base models and price-breaks from the S and 911s.

 

[jimmuller]

Jim don't you think they should at least call it something other than a Cayman? I mean it would be nothing like a Cayman except in name and appearance.

Well, if and when such a car comes about they will undoubtedly come up with a new name and a new look. I was speaking (okay, actually writing) more about a true two-seater sportscar as compared to the Taycan. If and when such a car comes about, with no single massive engine there will be no differentiation between a quasi-911 and a quasi-718 except the styling and performance they choose to build into them. If it ends up with the same or similar sculpted look and equivalent performance as the 718C, they can call it whatever they want! I would find it attractive.

 

[jimmuller]

I'm pretty sure I'm about to ruffle a few feathers, but here goes anyway.

Allow me to be blunt: Electric cars are a scam; they're nothing more than an appeasement to government regulators and politicians.

No feathers ruffled here but a disagreement on a few point. Of course an electric car requires energy which has to come from somewhere. The total energy cost of driving a car also includes its manufacture and ultimately is disposal, both non-trivial. But a scam? No. Electric energy is real and being produced in quantities far more than it was just a few years ago. One big win with an EV is regenerative braking, something an ICE car cannot do. Spend energy to climb a hill, re-claim it when you get to the bottom on the other side. Energy transmission from production to your car is another issue. Sure, some is lost in transmission lines, but your gasoline has to be transported around by folks driving big tanker trucks.

An electric car's performance can be just a great, perhaps even greater than its ICE equivalent even if it doesn't make the same noise. In the meantime enjoy your car. It isn't going away.

 

[DriveInHouston]

I find this interesting... The thread's subject is the return of the NA-6 (inevitably being compared to our torquey 4-T) .

At least here, we all know that an NA-6 cannot hold a candle to the 4-T in everyday sporting driving. The return of the NA-6 (if it happens) has all to do with the noise, the exhaust noise!

Now the conversation is devolving to ICE vs EV. (By the way, I spent a career in a major oil company and I've never heard so much BS about Alternative Sources of Energy as I read here). We all know that performancewise the ICE cannot hold a candle to the Hybrid/EV technology. If you have any objections, don't look at the Taycan/Tesla, look at the Porsche 918.

Why the objections? It's all about the noise, the glorious wail, the burbling and spluttering (I like it too, although I know it is all artificially induced, for the enjoyment of the listener). Pffft....

I like the Porsches and most of all our 718 with its torquey turbo. I like the handling, the road behavior, the feeling I am one with the car. A true sportscar! I even like the noise! I don't play the stereo, I didn't with my previous Mustang GT either, just to listen to the exhaust sound.

But let me tell you something. EVs are the way of the future, and the moment I can get an EV performing the same like the 718, I 'll park it (the 718) in the garage and drive the noiseless EV wonder.

The only EV 'problem' that is still realistic is the range/recharge time. My take is that when battery technology stabilizes, the manufacturers will move to a model of 'leasing/swapping precharged batteries'. You'll drive in the recharge/swap station, (actually the car in autopilot the moment you are at the gate), stop at a lift, a robotized sled will pick up your discharged battery pack, another one will deliver a freshly charged one and the car will hand over to you on the exit. The advertisements for the charging station will compare whether they can swap batteries faster than the Mercedes pit stop team...

 

[GTS18BGTS]

I'll own an alternative energy vehicle when they start selling the Millennium Falcon replicas

 

[DriveInHouston]

I'll own an alternative energy vehicle when they start selling the Millennium Falcon replicas

Dat ting has a **** of an exhaust!....