Electric Porsche Cayman and Boxster spied testing
Porsche persists with testing of its electric Cayman and Boxster as their rumoured debuts loom on the horizon
Development of Porsche’s all-electric 718 Cayman and Boxster replacements continues to simmer on, as we can see in these latest spy shots, even if an exact launch date eludes us still. When we first saw prototypes testing over two years ago, a reveal was expected for 2025. Now that 2025 is here, the countdown is on.
Back in 2022, the landscape for future electric sports cars didn’t look quite so rocky as it does now. Key rivals Alpine and Lotus were expected to collaborate, twinning an Elise successor with an A110 successor meaning that, with a next-gen electric Cayman, quite the triple test was on the cards.
Now in 2025, that partnership has dissolved, with Alpine playing coy on its all-electric future sports car and Lotus delaying/possibly rethinking the all-electric Type 135. MG’s Cyberster has received a warm reception, even if the driving experience doesn’t deliver on its looks. On the other hand, there is the Caterham Project V that seems to be moving ahead at pace. As yet, Porsche appears to be persevering with the electrification of one of its core sports car families, with these images giving our latest insight into what’s to come.
While extensive cladding on this Cayman prototype makes it difficult to distinguish the fine details, it can’t hide the new EV’s proportions. This is a much broader, stockier car than the relatively slender current Cayman (and Boxster), which at their basis have been in production since 2012. It looks longer and features a 992-style ridged, squared-off bonnet.
The overall silhouette and details like the front and rear lighting, appear to borrow at least a little bit from the Porsche Mission R, albeit minus all the race paraphernalia. Don’t be fooled by the 911 ‘side window’ disguise, that’s there to disguise the Cayman’s swollen roofline – the traditional upswept coupe window is just visible under the wrap.
The front lights are clearly in the same style as the Taycan and the Macan Electric, while the rear looks to exchange the existing car’s lozenges for the increasingly ubiquitous light bar. No doubt atop it there will be a movable spoiler element. Perhaps the most dramatic change to these Caymans and Boxsters vs the cars they’ll replace, is the lack of prominent side inlets, with hints of almost vestigial intakes visible behind the door shutlines.
The Cayman and Boxster’s fundamentals – their two-seat layout, basic silhouette with ‘mid-engined’ proportions and snug, but still practical, interior will remain intact. Specifics about what will be under the skin are still to be revealed, though Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has previously said that they will be based on a new platform developed specifically for two-door sports cars. This will likely be to preserve the ideal driving position flexibility that skateboard architectures don’t allow, as well as give freedom in terms of how much battery capacity is needed and as importantly, where that weight is positioned.
Beyond technical specifics, the question of whether the effort and expense of turning the new 718 into an electric sports car will be worth it ultimately depends on the bottom line. While the electric car market had a bit of a boom when the next-gen Caymans and Boxsters entered development, a lot has changed in the years since.
Market appetite and customer sentiments have stagnated and soured, with residuals and questions of longevity looming. Meanwhile, sports car demand, while low in relative terms, remains at least consistent. Squeezed between the rock of legislation and the hard place of what buyers actually want, it’ll be very interesting to see how this plays out and how an electric Cayman and Boxster are received, by commentators and buyers alike, will surely be the acid test.
This move will also allow Porsche to continue with internal combustion engines in the 911, possibly mixed with a hybrid option – especially so if the synthetic fuel market continues to receive investment and development – putting less pressure on EV sales to keep its CO2 fleet average down.
