Stuttgart's EV switcheroo

Good morning, folks! It seems as if February flew by quicker than a skier bombing down the Stelvio slope at the Winter Olympic Games. Admittedly, to that's where most of my attention has been turned this past month. Between the two seasonal athletic spectacles, I've always been completely enamored with the Winter Olympic Games because I'm an avid skier and lover of the cold. 

So, let's talk about some cars. As automakers continue to revise, reshuffle, and reimagine their future lineups, many of these lineups will include EVs of some capacity. Obviously money-making segments, like high-volume crossovers and SUVs will be where the main focus of these new EVs is, but we'll definitely see no shortage of battery-powered sedans (those are making a comeback!), trucks, and probably a few sports cars too. The latter segment, sports cars, is a one that really will test the waters amongst its buyers, many of whom are enthusiasts and gearheads. 

Putting aside the woes, worries, slander, and bad press...EVs make total sense for the needs of most American consumers. Compared to a handful of years ago, today's EVs get better range, they're better equipped, more affordable, and sold in a variety of desirable bodystyles. Now, I'm not a green zealot by any means and I do believe strongly in consumer choice. If you're not ready to buy or lease an EV, but have your eyes on a hybrid? Go for it. If your hobbies or work require a gas-powered pickup truck to haul around or tow things? Please, go, for it. But if you pause to examine your lifestyle, your routine, your day-to-day driving needs...there's a strong chance an EV would be a perfect fit for you. 

In my own household, an EV would be ideal, but we haven't bought one yet because both of our cars are paid for and in perfectly reliable running shape. When that time comes, however, I can assure you my wife and I will be shopping for something we can plug in every night. She, like myself, hates going to the gas station, and dream about the easy convenience of waking up every morning to a fully charged battery. An EV for my daily runabouts is a no-brainer, especially given that I drive at most 50 miles a day usually, though, I'm still a tad hesitant about range and charging infrastructure during the cold winter months, when I often embark on long road trips to corners of Wisconsin to ski. I know of only one resort in my region that currently offers Level 2 charging in their parking lot, which is a shame.

A daily driver that runs on batteries is inevitable, and I can't wait to buy one, but the lifelong enthusiast that I am isn't as keen to aquiring an electric sports car...yet. There are already a few sporty EVs on sale today that deliver remarkably mind-blowing performance, like Kia's EV6 GT, a small hatchback (though billed as a crossover by Kia) with a max 614 horsepower sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 supercar tires. A while ago when I had one on test, I toggled through the step-by-step instructions to activate "Drift" mode, which allowed for me to crank the wheel hard to the right and literally spin it in a circle...over and over and over again...lighting up those supercar tires in a cloud of smoke. It was an utterly insane experience that I've never had in a car before. The EV6 GT's platform mate, Hyundai's IONIQ 5 N, is another retro-looking electric hot hatch, with simulated gear shifts, vibrations, and gas engine throttle noises that legitimately sound and feel so realistic make you second guess if you're actually behind the wheel of something that lacks a catalytic converter. It's wild. I'd be lying if I didn't say automakers are getting good, very good, at demonstrating the performance potential of EVs.

But are these efforts good enough?

What makes a gas-powered sports car so desirable, to me at least, is the authentic connection between the driver and machine.  It's why when I think about the hundreds of vehicles I've had the privilege to test in my career and reminisce over which ones left a last impression on me...they all share one common denominator: a lively, spirited gas engine. Cars that begged to be played with like the Jaguar F-TYPE, Mazda's MX-5 Miata, a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack, Ford's Mustang Bullitt, BMW's Z4 M40i, a bright yellow Mini Cooper JCW convertible, Nissan's latest Z, and the Toyobaru twins. I miss them dearly. The rumbling at idle, the cracks and pops and explosions of an exhaust during a downshift, the squeezing of a clutch pedal and rowing gears through an actual transmission, the high-pitched roar of a supercharger, the symphonic combination of a vehicle's engine and chassis pushed to the limit. Most if not all of those emotions, feels, and senses...are hard to replicate in an EV. Automakers are getting close, as indicated above, however, there's still work to be done.

Porsche has touted lofty EV plans for several of its models. The brand's key cash-cow, the Macan crossover, debuted in its all-new generational form exclusively as an EV, leaving Porsche scrambling (and panicking) to quickly try and replace the gas-powered version of its popular nameplate. The flagship Cayenne, is also now sold in all-new next-generation EV format alongside the aging gas-powered iteration. There's the low-slung Taycan, which sitting in ensures claustrophobia, and the iconic 911, which while Porsche has introduced hybridization for, probably won't ever yank that flat-six out of its rear, because that would be financial suicide. 

As an analyst, the future of the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman (in casual speak just "Boxster" and its hardtop "Cayman" sibling), has been a headache to follow. Early reports suggested Porsche would forgo gas engines for their next generations, instead, offering them exclusively as EVs. Then came word that Porsche's engineering team was struggling to successfully match the swift dynamics and featherweight footprints the outgoing Boxster and Cayman were renowned for. Then came more delays, doubts, hypotheticals, and gossip. For a brief moment, after I read a Bloomberg article indicating the project was likely shelved due to lagging demand, and, what I'd imagine, crazy expensive R&D costs., I thought we were in the clear. I could stop chasing down these product rumors. But nope, my friends over at The Drive did a bit of digging, and upon reading a memo from the top boss at Audi, pitched a theory that yes, EV versions of the next Boxster and Cayman are indeed happening due to the simple fact that the eventual now-confirmed electric Audi TT cannot exist without Porsche building and providing its platform. Period.

The burning question is...would Porsche spend all this time and resources crafting a new, dedicated EV sports car platform only for Audi and not use it for themselves? That'd be odd, but again, who the hell knows, there's been so much flip-flopping going on in Stuttgart and by the time you read this post, everything I just wrote may be embarrassingly outdated.

That's not to say if, and that's a strong "if", Porsche were to green-light EV versions of the next 718 Boxster and Cayman, people wouldn't buy them. Diving headfirst into data from my firm's annual FADS Study (short for Future Attribute Demand Study), which surveys thousands of new vehicle shoppers across the U.S., I discovered that while more than a third (33%) of future Porsche sports car buyers would consider buying one if it was an EV...ICE remains king, with 80% powertrain consideration and 60% purchase intention. Interestingly, amongst these future Porsche sports car buyers, consideration for traditional hybrids (a la the 911 GTS) is strong at 37%. Even consideration for plug-in hybrids (which is offered on the Panamera) sits at 27%. 

Note though, consideration and what the consumer actually buys are two extremely different tales. Actual purchase intention amongst future shoppers for hybrid Porsche sports cars is low at 9%, plug-in hybrids is 11%, and Porsche sports cars that are entirely electric? 12%. The take rate is there to an extent, albeit pretty slim...but I don't think Porsche should permanently put the kibosh on electrifying more of its sports cars. Last year, just shy of 20,000 units of its 911 Carrera along with the 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster were sold. Lumping in sales of its two athletic sedans, the electric Taycan and Panamera, that sales figure for 2025 climbs to almost 29,000. Per our data, more than a third of those consumers, or roughly 10,000 or so folks, visiting a Porsche dealership, would contemplate buying one of those aforementioned sports cars if its powertrain were electrified whether hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV. 

If Porsche continues to drum up awareness and demonstrate the real, proven  performance benefits of its electric sports cars, like they've already done via the 911 GTS, the Taycan, and even Panamera (don't forget latter can be ordered with an absurdly potent 771 horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain)...then maybe we'll see actual purchase intention swing the other way. 

Whew, that's a lot musing about Porsche. Have a great weekend!

~Robby

➡️ What I'm listening to: "Holdin' On To Yesterday" by Ambrosia
➡️ What I'm drinking: Explorium's Hot Dog Lager
➡️ An auction I'm watching: https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9ll8vXR2/2004-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti
➡️ A story you should peep: https://manonthewall.substack.com/p/what-experience-taught-me-about-guns 
📰 Where I'm quoted: I chatted with arsTechnica about different types of seats in luxury cars and shared my thoughts on the resurgence of sedans to The Drive