Clear proportions in the Porsche model range: the 911 remains with the combustion engine, the 718, however, becomes electric. It remains with a coupé and a roadster version, which should continue to bear the name suffix Cayman and Boxster.
The design of the 718 Cayman is based on the Mission R racing car study presented at the IAA in Munich – naturally without the gigantic spoiler, but with the oval headlights that are inspired by the Taycan and define the brand’s new “electric face” . The 718 Boxster remains with the compact and light fabric hood.
The interior will take a significant leap in design and will be much more futuristic than the Taycan. Porsche wants to explicitly address the expected young buyers who place high demands on digital user interfaces.
400 km range as a minimum
As a fully electric sports car, the new 718 – like all electric cars – struggles with many hurdles. These include the high weight of the batteries and the limited range. 400 kilometers is the minimum acceptable for the developers, but more would be better. Because when choosing a route, sports car drivers like to use the pleasure principle – and not the remaining range available. Incidentally, the possible loading speed should also be increased further.
When it comes to weight, Porsche is aiming for a target value between 1650 and 1680 kilograms. This is considerably more than the current 718 with a combustion engine, which starts at 1,335 kilograms, but at the same time considerably less than most other electric cars. A Taycan, for example, weighs between 2050 and 2320 kilograms empty, despite its modest space.
Own architecture
The vehicle architecture of the new 718 is to differ significantly from the regular PPE platform, on which the next Macan and the Audi models Q6 and A6 are located. Because the seating position in a sports car has to be as low as possible. If the driver and front passenger sit above the batteries, the much-praised low center of gravity of electric cars becomes obsolete.
Insiders expect that the 718 will be offered with pure rear-wheel drive as well as with all-wheel drive and an additional front engine. The entry-level variants are said to be priced well below the 911, but there will be significantly more overlap in the higher-powered versions. Incidentally, it can be assumed that the 718 has a single-stage gear ratio – like the Mission R. The two-speed concept of the Taycan probably has no future.
It is practically impossible that the more powerful 718 will take away customers from the 911. Because buyers have to make a fundamental decision: between classic drive and electric drive.
Earlier speculations that the 718 will also be offered with hybrid drive have no substance. It could be that the current series with combustion engine will continue to run in parallel for a while. How long that will be will be decided not least by the upcoming EU-7 limit values, which are currently being fought over at European level. (aum / jm)