Porsche Still Working On EV Versions Of The Cayman And Boxster

Although there doesn’t seem to be much interest among enthusiasts for the all-electric Porsche Cayman and Boxster models, the company boss confirmed that work is continuing on the two models, adding that they have not been abandoned as some reports have suggested.

Former McLaren CEO Michael Leiters joined Porsche earlier this year, taking over from Volkswagen boss Oliver Blum. Under Blum, Porsche invested heavily in electric vehicles and cut its operating profit by 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion). Leiters’ task is to get the German brand back on track, according to Carscoops.

During a new interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine in Germany, Leiters admitted that the electric 718 models were on the verge of being scrapped, but the company ultimately decided to go ahead with the project.

“With the electric 718, we came to the conclusion that we will build that model – because it is the best economic solution and it will become a fantastic car,” he said. Leiters also stressed that Porsche evaluates projects based on their own commercial value before considering any synergies with the Volkswagen Group.

The publication claims that Porsche is sticking with the electric 718 because Audi needs to borrow components for its next-generation sports car, which is expected to be an all-electric successor to the TT.

Leiters countered that interpretation: “Initially I look at every project purely from Porsche’s perspective: Does it make economic sense or not? Only then do potential synergies within the group play a role.”

Although Porsche will still launch electric models of the 718 Boxster and Cayman, the role they will play in the company’s wider range will not be as important as originally intended. When Porsche started working on the sports car team, the plan was to sell them exclusively as electric vehicles. However, midway through development, Porsche revealed that flagship versions will still be offered with SUS engines, likely using the same naturally aspirated six-cylinder units as the Cayman GT4, GT4 RS and 718 Spyder RS ​​models.

Soon after, Porsche revealed that it was also reverse-engineering the new 718 family to offer internal combustion engines in the lower segments of those models as well.

• Also See: Porsche To Further Cut Thousands Of Jobs