Electric Porsche 718 officially confirmed: it will have a mid-engined character
Porsche reported on the work done last year and shared plans for the future: As expected, the next generation of junior sports cars with the 718 index will be fully electric. The electric Porsche 718 is developing its own platform to retain the model's mid-engined character and is expected to hit the market in 2025.
Last fall, at the Munich Motor Show, Porsche showed the Mission R electric concept, in which motorists and experts immediately saw the harbinger of the new generation 718, but only today the company officially confirmed that work on the electric Porsche 718 is underway. If the current 718 platform was electrified for a concept, then a completely new EV platform will be developed for the next generation of production sports cars, because, according to Porsche engineers, any rework is a bunch of compromises that prevent you from making the perfect car.
Porsche Mission R
However, the basic design of the new Porsche 718 will be the same as that of the Mission R concept: the battery is not located on the floor, but behind the back of the driver and the only passenger, this will make the landing as low as possible and achieve the same weight distribution as mid-engined gasoline Porsche 718.
The electric motors will, of course, be between the wheels and we will probably see an all-wheel drive Porsche 718 for the first time (gasoline cars are only rear-wheel drive), but basic rear-wheel drive versions may be offered. There are no official technical details yet. The Mission R concept, we recall, has a twin-engine power plant with a capacity of 1088 hp and a 900-volt battery with a capacity of 82 kWh. The Mission R accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of over 300 km/h.
Porsche Mission R
The platform of the new Porsche 718, which does not yet have its own designation, could be used for future electric sports cars from Audi and Lamboghini. By the way, the British company Lotus Cars has chosen a similar strategy: its new modular platform E-Sports, designed for electric models, in a version with a battery on the back of the driver and passenger, will be used in sports cars Lotus Type 135 and the new Alpine. A110 – Both new models will hit the market in 2026 2019 and are likely to be the main competitors of the new Porsche 718, which, as before, will be offered in coupe (Cayman) and convertible (Boxster) body styles.
Porsche will produce not only original platforms for its electric vehicles, but also original batteries. By 2030, electric vehicles should account for 80% of Porsche sales. Models with internal combustion engines (mainly 911) are planned to be preserved, albeit in small quantities, due to climate-neutral fuel.
In terms of performance, in 2021, as expected, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing social stratification of society, Porsche set an absolute sales record: 301,915 vehicles were sold, which is 10.9% more than in 2020. The most popular model was the junior crossover Macan (generation change is expected in 2023): 88,362 units were sold. (+13.1%), in second place is the oldest Cayenne crossover (83,071 units, -10.5%), in third place is the Taycan electric family (41,296 units, +106.3%). The company's revenue in 2021 amounted to 33.1 billion euros (+15.5%), profit after tax: 4 billion euros (+27.5%).
The main market for Porsche cars last year was China (almost 96,000 units sold), despite the fact that Porsche does not yet have a local production in China, that is, its cars are sold with a huge tariff margin. Porsche's recent sales in 2021 were 6,262 vehicles.