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New Delhi: In October, the present generation of the Boxster and Cayman will see the end of their production. How the next generation will be is unclear, with Porsche having previously said that the 718 was going to be available in electric powertrain only. However, since then, the stance of the German brand has changed much.
While the EVs are still coming, they will have their portfolio still running with internal combustion engines, but these will be top variants of the car, positioned above the EVs. Recently, Autocar claimed that the next generation of both the Boxster and Cayman will be electrified as well. The reports state that the ICE 718 will come with a hybrid setup, first pioneered by the current-gen 911 GTS.
This is both to limit development costs and also because of packaging constraints. The new 3.6-litre flat-six gets a little shorter than the engines used in non-hybrid 911s, making it best for small sports cars. The straight four might not have a future as the Porsche are unwilling to change the turbocharged 2.0-litre to come into terms with Euro 7 regulations.
The new 718 is hence most likely to come with a flat-six, and that is perfect because the top variants are unlikely to come with smaller engines.
Having a fuel-powered engine in the Boxster and Cayman was not initially planned and hence there will be some delay in its arrival. While the production of the outgoing generation is going to end, the direct replacements won’t be arriving until the end of this decade. The next generation could be brought in as continuations of Boxster Spyder RS and Cayman GT4 RS, since the hierarchy in which they are replacing.
In the Hybrid setup, the weight will be the biggest concern, of course, but it will be less of an issue than in the pure EVs. The 911 GTS with the 1.9-KWh battery pack that powers the electric motor and single turbo weighs around 27 kgs. The GTS is about 47 kgs heavier than the previous non-electrified predecessor.
The isn’t just down to the T-Hybrid though, as the car will come with more equipment as standard. As a result, the weight of the Boxster and Cayman hybrids should also be less.
Porsche remains determined to launch the electric version of the 718. Though the details are vague, it is going to share its elements from the production version of the Audi Concept C as confirmed by Daniel Schuster, spokesperson for Technical Development at Audi, to Motor1. So we have some elements of how the olden days of the Boxster and Cayman still remaining, and for many petrolheads, this is perhaps the best news.
