Photo: Porsche
The German manufacturer gave hardcore fans of the brand a fright when it introduced 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engines on the current 718 Boxster and Cayman models.
Porsche never relied on big displacement units, but it did rise to fame partly thanks to the unmistakable sound of its flat-six engines, and most people thought the carmaker would never give up on them. But now that technology has evolved and regulations have tightened, the bosses in Stuttgart decided a two-liter turbocharged powertrain would do.
It develops 300 hp and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque, so it's hardly a slouch, pushing the 718 Boxster to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.9 seconds with the seven-speed PDK automatic gearbox. However, Michael Steiner, a member of the Porsche executive board for research and development said even smaller engine are possible.
“We could do more downsizing, even below 2.0-liters," he told AutoGuide. “From an engineering point of view, we did our experiment on the racetrack with the 919. This engine is downsized to the extreme,” he explained.
The 919 had a 2.0-liter unit, but a total output of 900 hp. A lot of the power - and the much-needed torque - came from the electric motors of its hybrid system, a combination that could be used on road cars with smaller engines - even 1.0-liter - with similar results.
But he says Porsche won't do it. “At some point, it would make no more sense to downsize the combustion engine and put more and more electric energy into the vehicle. You come to the point where it doesn’t make sense anymore, so we would do a full electric.”
Porsche has made no secret that electrification is a big part of the company's future, and has recently announced it expects half the cars it sells by 2025 to be either plug-in hybrids or full EVs. The company will probably leave the 911 last, but it seems the legendary model will have to fall in line sooner or later and receive at least a hybrid system under its hood.
For now, let's just breathe a sigh of relief at the news that there won't be any Porsche model using an engine smaller than 2,000cc. On the other hand, look at the BMW i8 with its 1.5-liter three-cylinder unit: apart from the sound, that wouldn't be such a disaster.
It develops 300 hp and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque, so it's hardly a slouch, pushing the 718 Boxster to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.9 seconds with the seven-speed PDK automatic gearbox. However, Michael Steiner, a member of the Porsche executive board for research and development said even smaller engine are possible.
“We could do more downsizing, even below 2.0-liters," he told AutoGuide. “From an engineering point of view, we did our experiment on the racetrack with the 919. This engine is downsized to the extreme,” he explained.
The 919 had a 2.0-liter unit, but a total output of 900 hp. A lot of the power - and the much-needed torque - came from the electric motors of its hybrid system, a combination that could be used on road cars with smaller engines - even 1.0-liter - with similar results.
But he says Porsche won't do it. “At some point, it would make no more sense to downsize the combustion engine and put more and more electric energy into the vehicle. You come to the point where it doesn’t make sense anymore, so we would do a full electric.”
Porsche has made no secret that electrification is a big part of the company's future, and has recently announced it expects half the cars it sells by 2025 to be either plug-in hybrids or full EVs. The company will probably leave the 911 last, but it seems the legendary model will have to fall in line sooner or later and receive at least a hybrid system under its hood.
For now, let's just breathe a sigh of relief at the news that there won't be any Porsche model using an engine smaller than 2,000cc. On the other hand, look at the BMW i8 with its 1.5-liter three-cylinder unit: apart from the sound, that wouldn't be such a disaster.
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