Electric Boxster Is A ‘Great Car’

Plenty of digital ink has been spilled since Porsche announced it would take the electric route for the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman. The promise was made almost precisely four years ago, on March 18, 2022. At the time, then-CEO Oliver Blume said the 718 EV would go on sale by the middle of the decade.

While Porsche’s entry-level sports car without a combustion engine still isn’t in showrooms in March 2026, that doesn’t mean it’s cancelled. Blume’s successor, Michael Leiters, briefly spoke this week during the company’s earnings call about the electric 718. Testing and development are ongoing, and the engineering team behind the project has received high marks from the new man in charge in Zuffenhausen:

‘I can share that we have tested the whole product portfolio last week, and I have driven several times now, 718. And I can tell you that it is a great car and people are doing a great job working on that.’

Leiters went on to say Porsche will provide more details about the lineup sometime this fall, when “any additions or amendments to the product portfolio” could be made. That likely means the production-ready Boxster/Cayman EVs won’t be revealed until then. Even in a best-case scenario of a fall debut, we’d wager deliveries won’t start until 2027.

Porsche’s CEO is the second higher-up this month alone to refute rumors about the electric 718 being cancelled. In an interview last week with CarSales magazine, the automaker’s Australia Managing Director and CEO, Daniel Schmollinger, also praised the car after driving a prototype:

‘We can’t tell yet when it’s coming, but I had the chance to drive it, and it is actually amazing. So I had the chance to drive it on a race track and it was just amazing. A Boxster-type of car should give you the weight distribution, a very go-karty feeling, and it provides that. And with the electric engine, of course, it gives you even more dynamic driving.’

Porsche’s original plan was for the EVs to replace the gas models altogether, but that’s no longer happening. After ending production of the ICE-powered 718 last October, the combustion-engined duo will return later this decade for the range-topping versions. No further details were disclosed, but the flagship status likely implies six-cylinder engines.

Looking ahead, Leiters said Porsche is “fundamentally rethinking the development of sports cars” and trying to “unlock additional synergies across our models.” In other words, the goal is to increase commonality between products to drive down costs and speed up development, bringing new cars to market faster.

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Source: KGP Photography

Parts sharing extends beyond the company’s own lineup to include cooperation with Audi. Jochen Breckner, Member of the Executive Board for Finance and IT at Porsche, mentioned during the conference an Audi license payment of approximately €1 billion ($1.1B). Leiters explained it’s not just for the Q5-based new gas crossover but also for other models from both brands:

‘This is for several models we are doing together on both sides, Audi with Porsche and Porsche with Audi. So obviously, this is the part we paid for to Audi, but there is more than only one model.’

The tie-up includes Audi’s Concept C, which will go into production within the next two years. We’ve previously learned the road-going version will be sold strictly as an EV with an electrically retractable targa roof, just like the concept. Last year’s concept featured a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive layout, but a dual-motor Quattro variant is also planned.

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Source: Audi

Motor1’s Take: Despite the backlash against electric sports cars, Porsche appears committed to bringing the 718 EVs to market. These models will enter a rarified segment, sitting alongside the MG Cyberster and the next-generation Alpine A110. However, the French have a backup plan, as their performance coupe might get a combustion engine after all.

Then again, the Germans also have a Plan B. The decision to bring back gas engines in the Boxster and Cayman was met with enthusiasm, but for Porsche’s good fortunes, the electric 718 must also earn its keep in the lineup.