There's no going back now – the Boxster and Cayman with combustion engines will be no more from around the middle of the decade. Porsche has announced it will discontinue the gasoline-fueled models and replace the 718 dynamic duo with purely electric sports cars. We got a first taste of the EVs in September 2021 with the Mission R concept, but it wasn't until a couple of days ago that a prototype was spotted testing.
A new speculative rendering from our pals at Kolesa attempts to digitally peel off the camouflage and give us an idea (albeit very much unofficial) of how Porsche will transform its entry-level sports cars. As shown in the images provided by car paparazzi, the peeps from Zuffenhausen will retain the mid-engined proportions of the current Boxster and Cayman even after removing the four- and six-cylinder engines.
Some of the design cues we saw on the 2021 Mission R will rub off on the revamped 718 models, including the narrow, rectangular design of the headlights. The prototype appeared to have imposingly large air intakes at the front and might have been hiding an LED light bar at the rear to echo the concept car.
Logic tells us it won't look as hardcore as the Mission R since that was conceived as a track-only machine, but we can already imagine an electric GT-badged Cayman or a Boxster Spyder with a dramatic aerodynamic package. Bear in mind that Porsche cleverly camouflaged the prototype, so there are a lot of design details that remain a secret for now.
Porsche Mission R concept
While some of the modules will be shared with other vehicles, the platform will be specifically developed for this application. We'll remind you the Mission R was technically based on the current Cayman, but the subsequent production model will be an all-new car. The concept was touted as having a little over 1,000 horsepower from an extremely potent dual-motor setup providing a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in only two and a half seconds.
That said, it seems improbable the road car coming in 2025 will pack such an immense electric punch. In addition, the 2025 Boxster/Cayman EV is unlikely to top out at the 186 mph (300 km/h) velocity advertized for the Mission R. The concept weighed a relatively low 1,500 kilograms (3,306 pounds) or only about 85 kg (187 lbs) more than the Cayman GT4 RS, so let's hope Porsche's engineers will minimize the extra bulk of the batteries.
Before the electric sports cars, Porsche will introduce the next-generation Macan strictly as an EV in 2024. The electric 718s will be followed in the second half of the decade by a bigger zero-emission SUV. A hybrid 911 is also planned for the coming years, but a purely electric derivative won't happen before 2030.
