The naturally aspirated engine is a dying breed but Porsche says it is eager to keep making them, even if that means turning to hybridization.
While the vast majority of Boxster, Cayman and 911 models are now turbocharged, there are still a handful of sports cars with NA engines being produced by the German automaker, like the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder and will soon include 992-generation models of the GT3 and GT3 RS.
When quizzed by Autocar about the carmaker’s plans for its high-revving naturally aspirated engines, head of the Porsche 911 and 718 ranges, Frank-Steffen Walliser, said the company is “very motivated” to keep these engines alive.
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“Low-rev electric motor torque and a high-rev normally aspirated engine would fit perfectly together,” he said. “It could help a normally aspirated engine to survive.”
It remains unclear when we can expect to see the first hybridized naturally aspirated powertrains from Porsche, but as recently as March, the company did say the 911 is not yet ready to morph into a hybrid due to the additional weight of the batteries. Consequently, it’s reasonable to assume we won’t see Weissach couple its naturally aspirated engines with electric motors just yet.
While Porsche is still very much committed to keeping its NA engines kicking, it is also aggressively increasing its presence in the electric vehicle market. Most notably, the next-generation Macan will be sold exclusively as an EV, although the current model will stick around for a while to cater to certain markets. Moreover, before the end of 2020, Porsche is also expected to unveil the Taycan Cross Turismo.