The electric successor to the wildly successful Porsche 718 Boxster has started testing on public roads, giving a first look at Stuttgart's highly anticipated third EV model line.
The next-generation Porsche 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster are set to adopt a bespoke electric sports car platform designed to mimic the current combustion cars’ mid-engined characters and which could go on to underpin future Audi and Lamborghini models.
It has been confirmed that Porsche intends for the next-generation 718 duo to be offered exclusively with electric drivetrains, and that it intends for them to be on sale by the middle of the decade. It is likely the electric two-seaters will be the third electric model line in the Porsche line-up, following several derivatives of the Taycan and the arrival of the Porsche Macan EV in 2024.
Latest images give a close look at what appears to be the fifth-generation, or '983', Boxster in prototype form but with seemingly production-ready styling - at least at the front and rear. There are no obvious giveaways to a zero-emission powertrain, but Autocar's spies say the exhaust outlet is a red herring, and the visible headlights and rear light bar are designs shared with the Porsche Taycan and upcoming Porsche Macan EV.
But beyond that, it is difficult to gauge just how different the electric Boxster will be from today's petrol-powered proposition. Porsche's earlier Mission R concept gave clues as to the company's plans for electric sports cars, and indeed the lighting details seen here bear a resemblance to that car, but the side profile is much closer to the Boxster which has been on sale since 2016.
Porsche declined to comment on what was being tested, but with a projected launch in two years time, it is reasonable to suggest that test mules would be hitting public roads at around this time.
The company is aiming for pure-EVs to account for 50% of its global sales in 2025 and 80% in 2030, but has yet to confirm launch dates for pure-electric equivalents to the Porsche 911 sports car and Porsche Cayenne SUV.
Using a novel battery arrangement referred to as the ‘e-core’ layout, Porsche’s entry-level sports EVs will offer as low a seating position and centre of gravity as possible, in line with their dynamic billing.
Porsche has admitted that the Mission R reflects work being done in parallel in the firm’s design studio on future EVs, hinting that certain styling elements will in due course be seen on production models. The car is also close in dimensions to the current 718 Cayman and Boxster.
Porsche used a reworked version of the 718 Cayman chassis to make the Mission R concept, but when asked about a possible production version at its unveiling, company boss Oliver Blume said: “When we electrify a model, we won’t do a carry-over of the combustion engine [platform] because there are too many compromises.
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Cars for the nxt generation?, yeah, I think this, we can drive the ICE Cars.
For the first time, I feel quite lucky to be old, and to have enjoyed the heyday of combustion cars. I have a Tesla Modal 3 Performance, and while there is nothing much wrong with it, I'm left utterly uninspired, electric cars just leave me cold. As a consequence I've risked my relatively small savings pot in a 997GT3RS as my last car which will hopefully fulfill my motoring needs for the next ten years ( hopefully ) until I'm too old or concidered too old by the authorities to drive. I've also been lucky enough to run an Alpine A110 for the last six months, and with some superb mods from Life 110, managed to turn it into a very competent road and track car, and its humble four cylinder Renault engine is so much more inspiring than any sort of electric traction . Electric cars are for a new generation who will never know the joy of internal combustion. Great to read the comments of other here, thank you .
I would echo your sentiments Ravon. Drove a Taycan Turbo for a few days last year whilst the GT4 was getting its tranny replaced and aside from the immediate acceleration at low speeds it did absolutely nothing for me. Great piece of kit, don't get me wrong, would probably satisfy anyone not particularly interested in driving or the driving experience and just sees a car as a way to get from A to B, and lets be honest that's by far the majority of new car buyers. 997 GT3RS will be spectacular!
"Close look" at a vehicle 3yrs from production of which no details have been confirmed by Porsche, save it will be an EV. How's that a "close look"?