The Porsche 918 Spyder was one of the most hyped, exciting and revered cars of the last decade. It was part of the original trio of hypercars that spawned a new genre of car, those others of course, being the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari among others. A successor to the 918 has long been rumored, but in a report to Autocar the company’s CEO Oliver Blume has effectively ruled out such a car for another few years as the company seems set to focus on electrification.
The 918 Successor Has Not Been Ruled Out
Blume did not rule out the 918 successor. But it has shuffled down the pecking order when it comes to the companies priorities as they aim to go more mainstream with its EV line-up and future-proof the current range. Porsche is returning to Le Mans in 2023 in the new hypercars category, and a leftover hybrid powertrain from its F1 project that never materialized, is potentially still set to be used in the new 918 according to Autocar.
Le Mans Return At The Top Level
Blume said “We will return to Le Mans with a prototype, with which we will be able to win the big classic races like Le Mans, Sebring, and Daytona. Ferrari has already joined in the past few weeks, so it will be a very close, tough competition and we are very happy about it. In terms of following the 918, a hypercar is always something we are thinking about at Porsche, but for the next few years, our concentration is on the electrification of our model range”.
No New Hypercar From Porsche For At Least Four More Years
This then, effectively confirms that we won’t see a new 918 successor in the next four years and we probably won’t see it for a few years after that. However, it is also clear that a new hypercar is something the company is still wanting to produce. Given how many other companies are producing cars at this level, with the Mercedes Project-ONE soon to launch and with rivals such as McLaren producing ever-faster cars, it is almost a given Porsche will have to produce a rival. In terms of it becoming fully EV, Blume said the company will wait for better battery technology to make a decision on when that happens. But a hybrid 918 is on the cards still, just not in the short term. With how loved the original 918 still is, a new one would be very welcome indeed.
Sources: Autocar, Porsche