1978 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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Porsche confirms four-cylinder Boxster, Cayman replacement for US

Those who've been anxiously awaiting the return of the four-cylinder Porsche will be glad to know that the wait is almost over. What's more, the quad-pot Porsches won't be kept away from US showrooms but will form an integral part of the company's North American strategy. Confirmation comes courtesy of Automotive News, which spoke to the company's chief executive Matthias Muller about its return to four-cylinder power. "First of all, we will have it in the Boxster and Cayman successor," Muller told AN. "And then we will see how it works and how successful it is and how the customers will react on that, and then we will take the next decisions." The model to which Muller refers is expected to be the 718 – a new line taking the place of the Boxster and Cayman, ostensibly allowing Zuffenhausen to start from scratch rather than "downsizing" the engine on existing models. The new range is anticipated to launch sometime in the middle of next year. Porsche is currently offering a 2.0-liter inline-four with 234 horsepower in the Macan (which we get with V6s) for certain markets overseas, but the 718 is expected to get a new flat-four 2.0- and 2.5-liter displacements with output edging up to 395 horsepower. The last time Porsche offered a four-pot in the US was with the front-engined 968 that wrapped up production two decades ago, but it hasn't offered a boxer four since 1976.

Porsche is planning a hybrid version of the 911

Changes at Porsche are coming thick and hot. It's been a few decades since the last major engine technology change – the very dramatic shift from air- to water-cooling. Now we're seeing a turbo shift, in which even pedestrian 911s, Caymans, and Boxsters are being fitted with turbos. Next up is hybrid proliferation throughout the manufacturer's full range. Hybrids aren't new to the Porsche lineup, of course. The Panamera hybrid has appeared in two forms, one in 2012 and one in 2015. Likewise, the Cayenne hybrid was recently upgraded to plug-in spec. The 918 Spyder is also a plug-in hybrid. The 911, Cayman, and Boxster have been left off the hybridization program so far, but that's about to change. The 911 is "next in line" for hybrid tech, says Lutz Meschke, a board member at Porsche AG. That means we'll likely see a hybrid 911 before the fully-electric production Mission E arrives. Every Porsche model will eventually get a gas-electric option, so the Macan crossover and 718 Boxster and Cayman will follow the iconic sports car's lead soon. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The turbocharged base 911 has fractured critical opinion somewhat, although we loved our first drive of the 2017 911 Carrera with its twin-turbo flat-six engine. Do you fear or welcome the coming hybrid epoch? Let us know in the comments. Related Video:

Singer Porsche, Koenigsegg, NSX: Leno's life doesn't suck

Jay Leno had quite a productive trip this year during Monterey Car Week. Not only did he get to pal around with Ian Callum and check out the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but the denim-clad comedian also headed to The Quail to talk to some prominent figures in the modern sports car scene. Capping off the fun, he got to take a drive in a Mercedes-AMG GT S, too Perhaps the highlight of this show is a nearly 10-minute interview with Christian von Koenigsegg. The founder of the Swedish hypercar company digs deep into the Agera One:1's engineering details, relating interesting facts about the aerodynamics and transmission. In addition, Leno chats with Rob Dickenson of Singer about its newly reimagined Porsche 911 Targa, and he gets the latest scoop on the Acura NSX's progress from newly promoted Acura Vice President and General Manager Jon Ikeda. If you like hearing about the nuts and bolts of sports car development, then this video can't be missed. Of course, we were there at Monterey, too, and we pointed our own cameras at some of the amazing machinery, both vintage and modern, at all the various car-focused events of the week. Take a look back at some of our own cool footage in the videos below. Related Video: