At my previous job at a different site, I wrote what some would consider a hot take: That Porsche should just cancel its upcoming electric 718 successor.
I argued that there isn’t really a market for an electric 718, which was already the lowest-volume gas-powered vehicle in Porsche’s lineup. I also pointed out that it would be more expensive than the outgoing car, pushing most potential buyers away.
In that article, I also pointed out one way the electric 718 could be successful: If it used a fake gearshifting feature like the one found on the Ioniq 5 N and the Ioniq 6 N. Porsche was staunchly against this idea in 2024, but now, five months after my article was published, the company is finally starting to see the light. Coincidence? I think not!
Let’s Break This Down Into a Timeline
In August 2024, senior Porsche development driver Lars Kern laid out the company’s plans simply: It wouldn’t use fake shifter tech in its EVs. From Drive.com.au:
Speaking to Australian media, Porsche development driver Lars Kern said the German brand is monitoring competitors in the sporty electric vehicle (EV) space, but did not see the need to adopt a fake shifter akin to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
“Obviously, we look into what the competition does, but our perspective on this is always why should we make something worse?” he said.
“I mean because, in like just how it translates power or how power is applied? The electric engine is better than an ICE [internal combustion engine], so we figured there’s no reason to simulate what has been in the past.
This, in my opinion, is the wrong attitude to have with regard to fake shifters. Sure, adding synthetic shift points and made-up gear ratios will certainly be slower than leaving an EV to accelerate linearly. But by now, I think most enthusiasts agree that faster doesn’t equal more fun. Electric cars have commoditized strong acceleration, so speed alone is no longer a consideration for buyers. They just want a car that makes them feel something.
The Switch-Up We’ve All Been Waiting For
A year later, Porsche changed its tune. The company revealed back in August that it had developed an electric Cayenne prototype with fake gearshifts, signaling a change within the company and renewing hope that the tech might make it to the 718. Now, there’s even more indication from the brand that the 718 will receive the gearshifts it deserves. From Drive.com.au:
Frank Moser, the vice president of the Porsche 718 and 911 two-door model lines, said he has driven the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N “several times”, claiming it was an “eye-opening” vehicle for the brand.
“We learnt a lot from that [Ioniq 5 N]. I drove it several times. They made it really, really good,” Moser said in an interview with Australian media at the 2025 Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai, UAE.
[…]
When asked if Porsche had taken learnings from the Ioniq 5 N’s virtual sounds and gear changes, Moser said “this is the way”, but stressed drivers should be able to turn it on or off.
“The customer could decide if he wants to drive in complete silent mode, or he wants to be part of the game, feeling the virtual sounds of a flat six and the virtual gear shifts.
“That would be the direction for the future.”
So in just over a year, Porsche has done a complete 180 on its opinion of fake gearshifts, and now plans to have them in its upcoming EVs. It’s probably just a coincidence that this switch-up occurred five months after I published my take, but I’d like to think my constant blabbering about Hyundai’s shifter tech had at least a little bit of influence.
I figure it’s only a matter of time before most performance-oriented EVs have this sort of tech onboard. The market for electric supercars isn’t exactly strong, since electric powertrains can’t evoke the same sort of thrill and emotion as a great ICE setup. So being able to replicate that thrill is crucial to attracting buyers. Besides, most things in new cars are digital these days, even if there’s a gas-powered engine under the hood. Fake engine sounds through the sound system, 20-mode traction control systems, anti-stall tech, the list goes on. So long as it feels real and creates joy, that’s what matters.
Top graphic images: Porsche; Hyundai
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