The first rumors on a possible four-cylinder engine surfaced early in 2011. We initially thought it would be used on a new model placed under the current Boxster, but also on the future generations Cayman->ke5 and Boxster->ke570. Though the third-generation Boxster has already been unveiled and it features no four-cylinder engine, the rumors continue to circulate.

According to a Porsche->ke1 official, the four-cylinder engine is indeed being worked on, but it is still in "an early development phase." According to the same source, the development process will take about another three years, so don’t expect to see the new engine before 2016.

The new engine will share the same architecture with the six-cylinder engine used in the current models and should see use in the revised versions of the Cayman and Boxster set to go on sale in 2016.

With this news, we do need to add in a little clarity, as the Macan will be offered with a four-cylinder engine, but not the one that the source is referring to. Instead, it will use a 2.0-liter gasoline and a 2.0-liter common-rail diesel engine that Porsche fished from the VW parts bin.

Click past the jump to read more on the current Porsche Boxster

About the current Porsche Boxster

The new Boxster was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show and went on sale later the same year. The model is powered by a direct-injected flat-six engine offered in two versions: the base version gets a 2.7-liter version that delivers a total of 265 horsepower and the S version get a 3.4-liter version with 315 horsepower.

The model is offered with both manual and PDK gearboxes, and, depending on the version, it can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 4.7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 173 mph.

In the U.S. market, the base version is priced at $49,500 and the S version at $60,900.