Porsche keeping V8, V6 engines alive

Porsche surprised many earlier this decade when it announced almost all of its model lineup would transition to electric power in the 2030s, but a lack of market demand has seen these goals quashed.

In September last year, Porsche walked back its EV product plans by announcing more of its upcoming models will be fuelled by petrol power, a decision which was reported to have cost its Volkswagen Group parent €5.1 billion ($8.5 billion).

At the head of this plan was scrapping plans for a new large SUV – sitting above the Cayenne with up to three rows of seating – to be EV-only, with the ‘K1’ instead to launch with a choice of petrol and plug-in hybrid power.

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While it offered no details of what would underpin the K1 at the time, UK outlet Autocar reports it’ll run on the Volkswagen Group’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture, allowing it to be twinned with the rumoured upcoming Audi Q9.

As with other models from the past and present – such as the Porsche Macan/Audi Q5, and Taycan/e-tron GT – this will reduce development costs for both brands.

According to Autocar, the PPC architecture can support both twin-turbo V6 and V8 engines, which will likely find their way into the launch version of the K1 production vehicle. Plug-in hybrid technology will also be available in the large SUV.

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The publication reports the Porsche K1 will follow the Audi Q9 into production, with an expected European arrival of 2028. Both vehicles will be built in Slovakia.

A K1 EV is still possible as it’ll be produced under the same roof as the new Cayenne EV, which will run on the platform originally intended to be shared with its larger sibling.

Porsche’s decision to power the K1 with petrol engines reflects a wider change amongst its business plans, which includes the launch of a new Macan-sized SUV with petrol and hybrid power by no later than 2028, following the EV-only move of its best-seller, which has led to a drop in sales.

Recent reports have also suggested the 718 twins (Boxster and Cayman) will no longer go EV-only, with the long-delayed next-generation sports cars to get engines after all.