Porsche’s V-8 Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon—But It Will Get Quieter
Porsche’s V-8 isn’t going anywhere—yet.
The German sports car maker plans to keep putting eight-cylinder mills into its vehicle into the next decade, according to Drive. But there are some changes on the way, specifically related to noise levels produced by the powerful mills.
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We’ve seen premium marques, like Mercedes-Benz, downsize the engines they put in their cars in recent years due to increasingly strict emissions standards, like the upcoming Euro 7 standard. But Porsche is standing pat for the time being. The company will make adjustments to the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 it developed with Audi, but don’t expect anything too drastic, Thomas Freimuth, the head of the company’s Panamera line, recently told the Australian press.
“[Based on] all we know, this engine is ready for Euro 7, it’s no problem,” he’s quoted as saying. “We have to add some parts which are in development, so we are ready with this V8 to go to the Euro 7 regulations we think will come.”
Freimuth also said that Porsche won’t have to rely on hybrid systems to keep its V-8 street-legal. The main reason for this is that Euro 7 is no longer set to be as restrictive as automakers once feared, according to the Australian website. The standard will now go into effect in 2030 instead of 2025. Additionally, European regulators voted last month to keep CO2 emission limits closer to today’s limits, while introducing new restrictions for particulate emissions produced by brakes and tires.
This doesn’t mean that Porsche V-8 won’t be affected by new regulations though. Tougher legislation regarding exhaust noise levels means that Porsche will need to figure out a way to make the engine quieter. Freimuth admitted that this change will make it harder to produce the “emotion” drivers expect from a Porsche.
Porsche will continue to produce V-8s—which is currently available in the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan—but the amount it builds will continue to fall in the coming years, according to Motor1.com. The automaker stated that it is still targeting 80 percent EV sales by 2030 in its Annual and Sustainability 2023 report. It did leave some room for flexibility, though, saying that this goal is still dependent on customer demand.
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