- Porsche remains committed to launching the 718 EV.
- The electric Boxster and Cayman are ‘amazing’ to drive, according to a company executive.
- An ICE-powered version isn’t completely out of the question.
It’s been four years since Porsche announced plans to replace its 718 lineup with a pair of EVs. A lot has happened since Zuffenhausen angered purists with his controversial decision to kill the combustion engine in the Boxster and Cayman. ICE models have been out since last October, but there is still no indirect electric replacement.
An official debut for the 718 EV duo has yet to be announced, and rumors suggest the electric sports car may be cancelled. However, a company executive dismissed the reports, which emerged soon after Michael Leiters took over the reins from Oliver Blume. Talk with Car SalesPorsche Cars Australia Managing Director and CEO Daniel Schmollinger effectively shut down rumors of the performance EV being phased out:
‘We don’t know when it will come yet, but I’ve had the chance to ride it, and it’s been amazing. So I had the opportunity to drive it on the race track and it was simply amazing. A Boxster type car will give you weight distribution, a very go karty feel, and provide just that. And the electric engine certainly makes driving even more dynamic.’
Photo by: KGP Photography
Meanwhile, Porsche has abandoned its electric-only plans by promising to bring back petrol engines in the “top” version of the 718. It’s unclear whether this means dropping the last-gen Boxster and Cayman with six-cylinder engines or reworking the PPE Sport platform underlying the electric models to accommodate a gas engine.
These two scenarios can occur sequentially. Reports claim Porsche will initially relaunch the gas-powered 718 as an evolution of the 982-generation model, but with an electrified flat-six inherited from the 911 GTS. These cars are said to serve as stopgaps before the next generation Boxster and Cayman arrive with combustion engines once the previously EV-only platform is adapted to support ICEs. Company bosses Down Under haven’t completely closed the door on modifying the PPE Sport to use a petrol engine:
‘Headquarters is basically constantly evaluating existing opportunities. Every six months they check what we can do and what we don’t want to do. There’s nothing we can communicate at the moment, but certainly they know where the opportunities are.’
While still far from confirmed, the statement makes it clear that Porsche is keeping all options open. It seems the return of conventional powertrains for the Boxster and Cayman won’t be temporary, as the German luxury brand aims to please both camps by offering both ICE and EV versions.
Porsche 718 Boxster EV rendering by Motor1
Porsche 718 Cayman EV rendering by Motor1
