Get a 718 Boxster/Cayman with a combustion engine while you still can as Porsche has announced the next generation will be an EV-only affair. The disclosure was made at the company’s annual conference during which the 911 Hybrid was reconfirmed as a non-PHEV model. In purely electric guise, the smaller model from Zuffenhausen is still being referred to as a mid-engined car. Instead of a combustion engine, the battery will sit between the axles.
The third EV from Porsche after the Taycan and next year’s Macan, the zero-emissions 718 duo will be the firm’s first cars on the Premium Platform Electric. PPE is being developed with Audi, which will be launching its equivalent Q6 E-Tron. In addition, the Four Rings are preparing an A6 E-Tron without an ICE, complete with a wagon derivative previewed earlier this week by a stunning Avant concept.
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Porsche has already made it abundantly clear it’s only a matter of time before the 718 will lose its gasoline-fueled engine. At IAA Munich in September 2021, it unveiled the Mission R as a track-only concept car. The subsequent production version for the streets won’t be as radical, so don’t expect over 1,000 peak horsepower as the showcar had.
The Mission R catapulted to 62 mph (100 km/h) in two and a half seconds before maxing out at 186 mph (300 km/h). It delivered a constant output of 680 hp from its pair of electric motors, which gave it AWD. Despite being an EV, the concept weighed only about 1,500 kilograms (3,306 pounds). To put that figure into perspective, it’s only 85 kg (187 lbs) higher than the Cayman GT4 RS’ weight.
Although the Mission R was based on the Cayman’s chassis, the 2025 production model will be an all-new development, without carrying over any parts from its ICE predecessor. Why? Because using the old bones would require making “too many compromises,” according to Oliver Blume. He went on to say some modules will be shared with other vehicles, but the platform itself will be bespoke.
The next-generation Macan, 911 Hybrid, and 718 Boxster / Cayman will help Porsche reach its decarbonization goals: 50 percent of annual sales to be represented by hybrids and pure electric cars by 2025 and 80 percent will be EVs alone by 2030.