***** Porsche’s Plan: More Horsepower, More Hybrids *****
(7 May 2014)
"Hot on the heels of the news that Porsche is working on a “coupe” version of Cayenne, comes a metric ton more news from Zuffenhausen. Really, I’m hardly sure where to start. Perhaps at the top?
Discounting the likes of the near-million-dollar 918 Spyder, the most powerful Porsche you can currently buy makes 570 horsepower. That’s the Panamera Turbo S, which is followed closely by the 560-hp 911 Turbo S. Thing is, 700 hp is the new normal (Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta), and Porsche doesn’t compete in that space. But they will by 2017.
Expect hybridized, plug-in 700-plus-hp versions of both the Panamera Turbo S and the 911 Turbo S. The technology will easily and effectively trickle down from the 918 Spyder because for one, software is software and already paid for. For another, electric traction motors and lithium ion batteries are easy to scale. Sound farfetched? Remember that some European city centers will be Zero-Emissions Zones (aka ZEZs, where internal combustion and regular hybrids will be banned) sooner than later, and plug-in hybrids seem to be the only solution save for pure electric vehicles. BMW’s already prepared for this eventuality with its high-tech i8 PHEV. It also makes sense that the range-topping (and therefore most expensive) versions of each Porsche will get hybridized. We can also guess that if the 156-hp electric motor from the rear of the 918 can fit between the gas engines and PDK transmissions that total output will be around 725-730 hp.
You can expect both cars to wear an e-Hybrid badge, just like their 918 big brother. You can also expect the next generation Cayenne Turbo S to get a hybrid option/e-Hybrid badge as well, though that remains an educated guess for now. There’s nothing definitive yet as to whether the new e-Hybrids will slot above the existing Turbo S models, or if they’ll replace the current pinnacle cars. Everyone knows how much Porsche loves model proliferation, but word on the Straße is that there are already too many variants within each model. Sixteen versions of the 911 and 11 Panameras are already hard enough to differentiate, not just in customers’ minds, but for Porsche employees. So say some. Knowing Porsche however, the upcoming e-Hybrids will be new models. You can also expect to see a PHEV version of the new twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 found in the Panamera S as that’s the powertrain we saw in the Sport Turismo Concept.
Then there are the models on top of the models, like the Cayenne Coupe and the aforementioned Panamera Sport Turismo -- the sexy, station wagon, PHEV version of the Panamera we drove in Beverly Hills last year. To catch you up, think of the Sport Turismo as the Audi A7/Mercedes CLS version of the Panamera -- 20% of Panamera sales will be Sport Turismo, and they will sell for 20% more money. That metric probably holds true for the Cayenne Coupe. Both variants will initially only exist in high-dollar e-Hybrid form, with less potent, less expensive versions to follow.
The strategy is similar to how Porsche launched the Macan, with the two big boy engines (the 340-hp Macan S and the 400-hp Turbo) out of the gate initially, to be followed by a turbo-four version soon enough. When the Macan S appears, it very well may be a PHEV version of the Macan Turbo. For the time being, expect Cayenne Coupe and Panamera Sport Turismo pricing to start at $185K and go up. Not cheap, but these are 725-plus-hp, part-time electric vehicles we’re talking about. Also, expect the Cayenne Coupe to be badged as the Cayenne Sport Turismo, exactly like how BMW has both a 3 and 5 Series Gran Turismo as well as a 4 and 6 series Gran Coupe.
All of which brings us to perhaps the most exciting new car Porsche will bring to market in the next three years, the GT4. Based on the Cayman and probably destined to be called the Cayman GT4, the GT4 will be the big-power, mid-engine, reasonably priced Porsche every purist has been crowing about since forever. By reasonably priced we mean compared to a GT3. Pricing will be about $125K and the GT4 will sit way above the recently created Cayman GTS. What makes a GT4? Expect a transmission similar to the modified PDK unit found in the GT3.
What engine is still the big question mark, and interestingly might be settled this June in France. If the 919 Hybrid goes real big and wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans, expect Porsche to try and capitalize on that fact by pushing a turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain. If the 919’s teething problems continue, the GT4 could remain as a flat-six, but with hybrid assist. Expect to also see a Boxster version of the GT4, though it will most likely be called the RS Spyder. Either way, validation testing on the inline-4 turbo is taking place right now.
One Porsche engine that’s not going to see the light of day is a flat-four. There was some hope that because the turbo-four will (as we’ve previously reported) go into a 911 that a flat, or boxer version of the engine will get built and with it the return of the loved-by-some 912 nomenclature. Seems like both the 912 badge and a modern flat-four Porsche engine are not destined for this world.
The question then becomes who gets the turbo I-4 first, the 911 or the Boxster/Cayman? Depends on who you talk to at Porsche, as the mid-engine guys generally don’t communicate with (or seem to like) the rear-engine guys and vice-versa. Our best guess is that since the Boxster is first in line for a refresh, that’s where we’ll see Porsche’s four-cylinder motor appear first. A turbo-four was recently confirmed for the Euro-spec Macan crossover, but it's possible that engine may be of a different design. Expect the Boxster's I-4 to then work its way to the 911 and Cayman. The really good news? The turbo-four plus hybrid power will be good for over 400 hp, more than the Carrera S makes currently. Is it 2017 yet?"