While Mclaren has already announced that the replacement for the P1 will be all-electric, Porsche and Ferrari have kept relatively quiet about the successors of the 918 Spyder and LaFerrari.
Now, Porsche has finally spoken up. Speaking to Autocar, Porsche R&D boss Michael Steiner revealed some details about the 918 successor. Just that the news might not please fans.
“Porsche has never had a plan to bring out a super sports car on a regular cycle,” said Steiner. Considering that the 918 arrived nine years after the Carrera GT was introduced, Steiner was asked if the same timeline would be followed for the 918’s successor “The next one might be even longer,” replied Steiner. That suggests a date no earlier than 2021.
Steiner added “A future super-sports is a matter of technology. If we were to do it now, it would be a hybrid. But we have already done that with the 918”. While the Carrera GT benefited with developments in carbon fiber, the 918 Spyder was a result of advancements in hybrid technology. Electrification is probably the next big leap.
Steiner insisted that Porsche won’t build an electric supercar until it surpasses the performance of the hybrid 918 Spyder – it will have to be faster than the 918 on the Nurburgring. But, he warned that the rate at which charge would have to be drawn from the batteries could damage the cells, reducing the life of the battery pack. The company is also looking into solid state batteries to replace the current lithium-ion ones.
Considering Steiner’s remarks, the successor to the 918 will probably arrive in time when the Mclaren’s all electric P1 replacement is due. We don’t yet know what Ferrari has planned for the Laferrari successor, but if it’s an electric car, it will be a Holy trinity of hypercars again, just this time with battery power.
Source: Autocar