Porsche is currently finalizing plans for its next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxster, but the automaker admits to being undecided about whether or not to make the small sports car battery electric.
For those unfamiliar with Porsche’s lineup, the 718 Cayman and Boxster are the cheaper sports cars in the automaker’s lineup starting at around $60,000.
The current generation of 718 was introduced in 2016, and Porsche is due to move to the next generation.
With Porsche’s aggressive electrification plans, there was a good chance that the automaker would decide to make the next generation all-electric.
However, back in 2019, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume had concerns about making the smaller sports car, which is known to be light, electric due to how the weight of the battery would affect driving performance.
At the time, he said that it was still under consideration and that Porsche had electric Boxster prototypes to test the possibility with plans to take a decision within a year.
A year has passed and Blume now tells Auto Express that a decision still hasn’t been made, but it should be coming in “a couple of months” and electric is still an option:
“We will wait a couple of months more before we decide which concept we will use. But I think there is a positive potential to do this, and when we do the 718 electric it should be driven like a 911 and all the other sports cars.”
There were even doubts about Porsche bringing back the 718 at all, but the CEO says that the model is still alive and that they just haven’t decided if it is going electric or not:
“We will continue with the model range of the 718. That is clear. If it’s combustion engine or electric isn’t decided yet. You can’t compare combustion engines with electric motors but there are a lot of positive advantages of electromobility because of the punch and the acceleration you can put into the car.”
Even though Porsche has heavily invested in electrification starting with the Taycan, which will be followed by several more EVs, including the electric Macan soon, Blume has been reticent about going electric with the brand’s smaller sports cars.
The CEO notoriously said that the Porsche 911 will never be electric.
Electrek‘s take
While I understand the concerns affecting the driving dynamics of a lighter sports car with a battery pack, I think the pros outweigh the cons today.
Furthermore, I don’t think launching a new generation of any vehicle with an internal combustion engine is a good idea in 2021.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Porsche decides to go electric with the next-gen 718, and as for the 911, it will be a few years down the road, but never say never.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
