There have been plenty of rumors over the past couple of months about a new Porsche sports car in the works. Described as a spiritual successor for Porsche’s 718 race car of the 1960s, the new car was to be a lightweight, mid-engine roadster positioned below the Boxster and powered by a four-cylinder boxer engine. A senior Porsche executive has now revealed that after considerable consideration the car has been ruled out.

"You won't see anything lower than the current Boxster model," Detlev von Platen, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, told Automotive News (subscription required). "We had many discussions about this in the group and the decision was made that the time is not right."

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Porsche has looked at the possibility of a new entry-level sports car for the past couple of decades and each time arrived at the same conclusion. The last time Porsche considered the car was back in 2009.

The Porsche exec explained that the automaker’s pre-owned program is ideal for anyone seeking a more accessible point of entry, and that the situation is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.  

"We're not talking about entry models at Porsche," said von Platen. "Our entry model is our pre-owned program."

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