Downsizing may be in full swing, but Porsche isn't ready to retire its V-8 just yet. Despite increasingly stricter emissions regulations, the engineers from Zuffenhausen are always one step ahead. The eight-cylinder engine is already being tweaked to meet the Euro 7 standard, even though its implementation has been pushed back. It was supposed to come into effect in 2025 but it's been delayed to 2030.
In an interview with Australian magazine Car Sales, Porsche Panamera model line boss Thomas Freimuth revealed new components are being developed to make the engine Euro 7 compliant: "We know this engine is ready for EU7, it's no problem. We have to add some parts which are in development, so we are ready with this V-8 to go to the EU7 regulations."
Porsche won't necessarily have to rely on a hybrid setup to keep the V-8 alive since the Euro 7 standard won't be as strict as initially proposed. But other regulations will force engineers to make some unwanted changes. Freimuth mentioned the maximum exhaust noise level permitted, which he believes will continue to go down over the years. Tougher legislation regarding noise levels "makes it more complicated to get a good emotion to our Panamera V-8."
Although the V-8 will live to see the 2030s, we reckon Porsche won't be making that many cars with the twin-turbo 4.0-liter engine by the end of the decade. In the Annual and Sustainability Report 2023 published this month, the German automaker reiterated its projection of having EVs account for more than 80 percent of annual deliveries by 2030. However, it did say reaching that goal depends "on the demand of our customers and the development of electromobility in the respective regions of the world."
The EV onslaught started with the Taycan in 2019 and continued in early 2024 with the second-generation, electric-only Macan. The 718 Boxster/Cayman EVs are scheduled to come out in 2025, likely with the convertible first and the coupe shortly after that. The successor to today's Cayenne has already been confirmed to be an EV, while that three-row large SUV is also going to skip gasoline engines.
The 911 won't get the fully electric treatment this decade but a hybrid setup will debut in early summer with the 992.2 refresh. Porsche hopes to keep the ICE alive with near-carbon-neutral synthetic fuel, which it's currently producing in Chile. The goal is to scale up annual production to 145 million gallons by 2030.
