The next Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman will be electric
The rumor becomes official: the next Porsche 718 Boxster and cayman two two-seaters highly adored by driving enthusiasts, will abandon their combustion engine by 2025. Porsche confirms that the current generation of these models will be the last to run on gasoline.
The news comes to us from Oliver Blume, the CEO of Porsche. It was during a recent press conference that he announced the manufacturer’s electrification plans. He claims that “the Porsche Taycan is 100% Porsche and has led a lot of people, including new customers, to come to the brand”. He then added that “by the middle of this decade, we (Porsche) want to offer our sporty mid-engined 718s powered exclusively by electric motors”.
This statement comes just as Porsche is recording higher sales for its electric Taycan than for its own 911, the manufacturer’s emblematic model. Even if the sales of the 911 remain in very good health, the success of the Taycan motivates Porsche to go even further in electrification. Mr Blume then argued that by 2025 half of the Porsche range will be electric or hybrid. However, it will be 80% electric in 2030.
Mission R as a starting point
When Porsche lifted the veil on its Mission R concept last fall, it told us that it was a precursor to its race cars for its customers. The concept, however, looked eerily similar to the 718 twins in that it was a two-seater with its engine installed in the center rear of the car, and whose dimensions were almost identical to the Boxster and Cayman.
We could therefore expect a production model that will be inspired by this concept, which also put a lot of priority on the lightness of its components in order to counter the high weight of the battery.
A shock for purists?
The arrival of the 718 Boxster and Cayman could hit model purists hard and potentially impact the desirability of these models. Remember that Porsche had developed the Taycan with the aim of creating a new kind of model at Porsche and, above all, not to rush the followers of the 911. In this case, the current model is entirely replaced by something electric.
It is important to specify that the 718 twins also have their followers. After all, their roots go back to 1996 with the very first Porsche Boxster, which not only saved Porsche from bankruptcy, but was inspired by past iconic mid-engined Porsche models like the first 718 from 1957.
Will the arrival of only electric versions make purists shun? Without a doubt, but it is clear that, as in the case of the Taycan, new buyers will be interested in these models. To be continued.
