Porsche AG am 01.09.2023 in Stuttgart
Porsche is starting work on a significant renovation of its Zuffenhausen factory in Germany to accommodate production of the upcoming 718 electric sports car family and powertrains for the Macan EV. The company will invest over 250 million Euro overhauling the facility where its two-door sports cars and the Porsche Taycan are currently built.
The electric replacement for the 718 Boxster has been spotted in testing since November 2022, but the Stuttgart automaker has yet to commit to a release date for the platform. We’ve also yet to see a hardtop version (aka the Cayman) out in the wild. Porsche has encountered significant delays in expanding its electrified portfolio, with the Macan EV pushed back multiple times allegedly due to software issues in the larger VAG electric portfolio.
The Macan EV won’t actually be built at Zuffenhausen, but its electric motors will, according to today’s announcement. The 718 Boxster (and, again, presumably, Cayman) electric will roll off the same assembly line as the 911 and ICE variants of the 718 family. Porsche has not yet committed to phaseout dates for any of its ICE vehicles, and has said it plans to produce some volume of ICE 911 sports cars as long as customers want them and regulations allows them to be built. While the electric 718 will replace the ICE versions of the sports car at some point, it seems as though there will be overlap for some duration where both versions are produced (as it appears there will be with Macan).
These automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have replaced conveyor belts at Porsche’s Zuffhenhaus factory
Additional upgrades include the replacement of the factory line’s traditional conveyor belt assembly line with automated rolling lift vehicles (AGVs), allowing more flexibility for the plant’s layout and the types of vehicles produced. Porsche is also adding more quality checkpoints and upgrading some of its existing quality areas to better suit the unique needs of electric cars, such as its acoustic test platform.
Electrek’s take
Porsche is making clear that it’s taking concrete steps to start building electrics Boxsters and Macans — but we still don’t have a firm release date for either. The press release today does reaffirm Porsche’s commitment to launching Macan EV in 2024, but there’s no indication of when in the year or where, so, no real news to report on that front.
While we’ve had glowing things to say about Taycan from day one, it remains the sole EV in the company’s portfolio over three years since its launch. Porsche’s reputation for an obsession with quality and customer experience is well-earned, and Taycan has largely been seen as a “safe” way for the company to test electrification without putting its more storied (read: profitable) models’ reputations on the line. But the longer customers go without an electric Macan, in particular, the more time Porsche’s rivals have to make a case to customers that they shouldn’t bother waiting.
In that light, today’s news very much feels like a “please be patient with us” kind of announcement. It’s certainly welcome news that Porsche is getting ready for electrification in a more meaningful way, but many unknowns remain.
Keyword: Porsche is upgrading its factory for electric Boxster and Macan EV