Porsche confirms smaller four-cylinder engines

Porsche has confirmed it will reduce its CO2 emissions by introducing four-cylinder engines in the next Boxster and Cayman models.

CEO Matthias Müller told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine that road cars will follow the lead set by the Le Mans Porsche 919 we first saw at Geneva, by being fitted with smaller, turbocharged engines.

2014 Porsche Boxster and Cayman GTS revealed

Porsche 919 Hybrid at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show

Although Porsche hasn’t officially given any performance figures for the new four-cylinder petrol engine, Müller reportedly said it would boast up to 400hp – making it more powerful than the outgoing six-cylinder models, including the range-topping GTS unveiled last week.

Unlike the 919 engine, which features a unique V4 cylinder formation, it is understood that the engine in the new Boxster and Cayman will be set out in a flat-four layout – essentially a variant of the next generation of Porsche’s favoured flat-six configuration with two of the cylinders chopped off.

Although the new Boxster and Cayman aren’t due for a number of years, we are expecting to see a four-cylinder engine in the Macan, possibly as soon as next year. This is likely to be a more conventional in-line four arrangement, and the first four-cylinder Porsche since the 964 went out of production in 1995.

Porsche confirms four-cylinder Macan

On Bing: see pictures of four-cylinder Porsches

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2014 Porsche Boxster and Cayman GTS revealed

Porsche 919 Hybrid at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show

By motoringresearch.com