Porsche’s CEO says the electric 718 models will be built. Michael Leiters described the electric 718 as a “fantastic car.” The next-gen 718 will still be offered with combustion engines. While there doesn’t appear to be much interest in all-electric Porsche Cayman and Boxster models within the enthusiast community, the company’s boss has confirmed it’s pushing ahead with work on the two models, confirming they will not be scrapped as previously reported. Read: Porsche Is Sneaking Gas Power Back Into The Next 718 Ex-McLaren CEO Michael Leiters joined Porsche at the start of this year, taking the reins from VW chief Oliver Blume. Under Blume, Porsche over-invested in EVs and dented its operating profit by €1.8 billion ($2.1 billion). Leiters’ job is to steer the German brand back on course. Baldauf During a new interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine in Germany, Leiters appeared to acknowledge the electric 718s were on the chopping block, but the company ultimately decided to push forward with the project. “With the electric 718, we have come to the conclusion that we will build the model – because it is the best economic solution and will become a fantastic car,” he said. Leiters also stressed that Porsche evaluates projects on their own commercial merits before considering any Volkswagen Group synergies. Tech Shared With Audi Baldauf The publication claims Porsche is sticking with the electric 718 because Audi needs to borrow components for its own next-generation sports car, expected to be an all-electric successor to the TT. Leiters pushed back on that reading: “I initially look at each project exclusively from Porsche’s perspective: Does it make economic sense or not? Only after that do potential synergies within the group play a role.” Although Porsche will still launch the electric 718 Boxster and Cayman models, the role they play in the company’s broader line-up won’t be as important as it was initially going to be. When Porsche first started work on the electric sports cars, its plan was to sell them exclusively as EVs. However, partway through development, Porsche revealed that flagship versions would continue to be offered with combustion engines, likely using the same naturally-aspirated six-cylinder units as models like the Cayman GT4, GT4 RS, and 718 Spyder RS. Soon after, Porsche revealed it was also reverse-engineering the new 718 family to offer combustion engines lower down in the model range. As long as these ICE models are priced competitively, it’s hard to imagine them not easily outselling the EVs. Flagship Plans And Taycan’s Future Porsche Mission X concept. Leiters also signaled that Porsche is still weighing a flagship sports car positioned above the 911. He raised it as one of several future opportunities for the US market rather than a confirmed program, and didn’t elaborate on the project. Separately, he dismissed suggestions that the Taycan could be dropped from the lineup as the company trims complexity, saying Porsche has no plans to discontinue it in the short term. “We’ve already started doing that. With the Taycan, we will further reduce the number of models and thus decrease complexity. We have no plans to discontinue the Taycan in the short term. We’ve invested heavily in the model and want to monitor how demand develops,” he said. Porsche Taycan
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