Porsche to bring out new flat-four engines

After years of speculations, Porsche is on its way to reintroduce flat-four boxer engines to power its sports cars, the Boxter and Cayman. The engine would be based on the company’s tried and tested flat-six engines, minus the two of the six cylinders. The new engine will be lighter than the existing ones, which will translate into better economy as well as handling. 

Talking to AutoMotorundSport magazine, Matthias Muller, Porsche CEO said, “We will continue with the downsizing strategy and develop a new four-cylinder boxer engine, which will see service in the next-generation Boxster and Cayman. We will not separate ourselves from efforts to reduce CO2.”

Despite being short of cylinders, the new engine is expected to churn out as much as 395bhp, which is considerably more than 340bhp the Cayman GTS, the most powerful variant, produces. Mr. Muller also indicated that the engine eventually might also find its way into the 911. Being based on the flat-six, the flat-four will share many parts as well as the assembly lines with the former, a cost-efficient measure.

Depending upon the success of the engines, we suspect that the engine will also end up in the Macan, the popular entry-level SUV. Owing to stringent emission norms and escalating production costs, developing small and efficient engines has become the latest trend among car manufacturers. Heading in this direction, Ford recently launched the Mustang with a 2.3-litre four-pot EcoBoost engine, producing 245bhp.