The Porsche 718 Cayman Will Remain Gas-Powered Until 2024
Its electric replacement won’t arrive until 2025.
Porsche catered to its enthusiast crowd a whole bunch this week when it released the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. Finally, the Cayman has gotten the engine, aero, and gearing it deserves, and as it turns out, it won't be a limited-production vehicle. Porsche is going to make as many as it can sell, which means stretching out production for another few years. Speaking to Top Gear, Porsche's GT Cars Director Andreas Preuninger confirmed this vital detail. "We’re going to have a production run of at least two, two and a half years on [the GT4 RS], so there will be plenty of cars coming around," he told the publication.
This news comes alongside all-but-confirmed reports that the next Cayman will be fully electric, hitting the streets in 2025. Details on that car remain slim, but now we know there will be little if any gap between the two car's lifespans.
The 718 has already been around for five years, debuting in 2016. By 2024, it will have been in production for nearly a decade, although nobody seems to be complaining.
Porsche has already released a slew of hybrid models, plus the electric Taycan. There are whispers a hybrid 911 is on the way too, and not everybody is happy about that. The fact the 718, in its current form, might be completely uncorrupted by electrification is perhaps a little surprising then.
Despite solid reports the next Cayman will be electric, though, the technology underpinning this car is still unknown. Porsche is reportedly going after solid-state battery technology, but whether it will be ready in time for a 2025 reveal is still unclear. If the automaker decides to go with conventional lithium-ion tech, Porsche fans may not be happy with the weight penalty. If the automaker tries to go light with the batteries to counteract this, well, we might end up with something like Mazda's unfortunate MX-30.
In any case, we'll just have to wait and see. Until then, we can close our eyes, put on some headphones, and listen to the GT4 RS's flat-six rev all the way out to 9,000 rpm. I think I could do that for another few years.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: peter@thedrive.com
