About five years ago, it looked like the entire industry was jumping headfirst into all-electric vehicles, including Porsche, which decided that its “entry-level” sports car, the 718, no longer needed a gas engine to sell. The automotive landscape has changed considerably since then, but Porsche is in too deep to abandon development of the EV. As the automaker weighs up putting a 911 engine in the 718 Cayman and Boxster, it is also forging ahead with the electric version, and prototypes are now hitting the Nürburgring with reduced camouflage. Even so, the engineers are attempting to hide its true styling by applying decals to the glasshouse in an effort to convince our spies that this is a 911.
911-Like Aero For The 718 EV
SH Proshots/Autoblog
At the front of this prototype, the Taycan-style headlights are surrounded by decals that might make the car look like another model were it not for the high definition of the photos, but our attention is caught by the lower front fascia, which features louvers not unlike those on the 992.2 Porsche 911 range. These will open when additional cooling demands are placed on the powertrain and brakes, such as during hard driving, and they’ll close when temperatures are under control in order to reduce drag. If the system works as it does in the new 911 Turbo, they’ll also close when it’s raining to ensure that braking performance is not compromised. Moving to the side of the car, the dual five-spoke wheels look attractive enough for production, but the bodywork is still not quite there.
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Porsche has applied some fake body cladding to the area ahead of the rear wheel and the side rocker panels, and it appears that a side intake may feature just as it did on the gas Boxster. Presumably, these will cool the battery and/or rear brakes. Further back, pre-production taillights sit below what is likely an adaptive spoiler. Between these, the Porsche script will almost certainly appear, and just under that, we see a charging port. The rear bumper on this test mule gives us no clue to the final design, but more camouflage will undoubtedly be removed over the coming year.
Coming Next Year
SH Proshots/Autoblog
The electric Cayman is expected to debut sometime in 2026 for the 2027 model year, but as noted earlier, unconfirmed reports suggest that the 718 could be reborn with the flat-six of the 911. The prospects of both an electric 718 and one with a six-cylinder engine are bad news for those hoping to get into the Porsche sports car experience on a budget; EVs are expensive, and if the 718 is only available with a 911’s engine, we suspect that Porsche will make it a special edition that costs close to six figures. For the record, a 2026 911 Carrera starts at $132,300. Then again, if EV sales continue to struggle to gain traction, perhaps Porsche will be forced to sell the electric 718 for a more reasonable price. Time will tell.
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