Electric 718 ditches disguise ahead of reveal

The battery-powered Porsche Boxster is confirmed for production next year - still interested?

It was not so very long ago, amid the trials and tribulations of Porsche’s financial woes, that new-ish CEO Michael Leiters was rumoured to be contemplating binning the battery-powered replacement for the 718. Given the time and money already invested in the project - and the expensive nature of its shared platform - its survival may never have been under serious threat. But it seemed like there were no sacred cows at one point (Porsche has just confirmed the one billion euros it made from selling its Bugatti stake); and the demand for electric sports cars appeared, at best, shaky. Possibly non-existent.

But here we are. Just last month Leiters confirmed in newspaper interviews that the EV was not only in the final stages of development, but already scheduled for production next year. This means that we might potentially see it before the end of 2026 - and as if to confirm the model’s transition from test mule to showroom reality, Porsche has started testing the convertible version with virtually no disguise at all. Only the exact shape of the headlights seems now to be in question.

Everything else, as expected, appears custom-designed not to fall too far from the established 718 tree. This, as we’ve seen with several headline electric cars recently (the new Range Rover Electric very much included), appears to be a prudent strategy. Porsche is famously conservative with its design language anyway, although with essentially the same buyer targeted - and yet to be convinced by what’s underneath - the decision to make the newcomer look very much like the widely admired Boxster ought to ensure no slip-ups in the looks department.

Our German spy snapper, probably more accustomed to looking at Porsche prototypes than anyone beyond the factory, points out that the bumper design (and its obvious 911 influence) can be seen clearly now, as well as the new side skirts. There’s even a brief glimpse inside, where it appears that actual dials might have been retained. If such traditionalism leaves you quaking in your early adopter boots, let’s not forget that Alpine is taking much the same approach with the next-generation A110, the 718’s chief rival in the electric sports car segment.

That segment will also include the production version of the Audi Concept C, the model due to adopt the Porsche-developed PPE Sport architecture. While that might sound like the name you’d apply to a fetching high-vis bomber jacket, it is at the heart (and business case) of both cars. Like the A110, which also eschews a conventional skateboard platform, much depends on getting the location and energy density of the mid-mounted battery right.

This much we know - but much else has been kept under wraps. Quite what power output, range and charging capacity Porsche has installed is still to be discovered - ditto, clearly, the kerbweight prescribed by so much tech. Alpine has previously said it is targeting around 1,450 kilograms, which would be impressive given the outgoing petrol-powered Boxster weighs not much less. Of course, in time, and to appease some of its existing customers, we are promised petrol-powered variants of the new Boxster, too. But given the reverse engineering required to make a flat-six work where none was intended, those remain a long way off. The immediate future is electric. And just around the corner.

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Hairymonster

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