It looks as if we’ve been listening to about Porsche’s plan to impress the Boxster and Cayman for eons, but we’ve by no means seen something nearer to production-ready than the Mission R idea from again in 2021. A new report from Automobilwoche says why that could be: Porsche is solely combating the automotive’s improvement.
The report, as translated through Google, claims that Porsche’s radio silence on the electrical 718 comes from delays with the mission itself. Apparently, the corporate’s engineers are combating battery placement within the mid-engine chassis. From Automobilwoche:
And the electrification of the 718 collection with Boxster and Cayman can also be something however easy. As Automobilwoche discovered, this mission can also be properly not on time. The rationale for that is the complexity of the battery.
Because the 718 is a mid-engine sports activities automotive and Porsche has solely additional developed the prevailing platform, the battery should be positioned within the center to allow comparable driving traits.
However that is proving to be so troublesome that Porsche is consistently demanding changes from the battery provider Valmet Automotive, which constructed a manufacturing unit in Baden-Württemberg particularly for the order. Within the meantime, the Finnish firm is alleged to have incurred important extra prices as a result of delay, which Porsche apparently doesn’t need to cowl or solely partially.
Struggles with suppliers are all the time an journey, however the fascinating factor right here is that Porsche is seemingly making an attempt to adapt the 718 platform for electrification — not design a brand new chassis from the bottom up for battery energy. Such a transfer saves prices, however prices Porsche in improvement time and dangers compromising the tip product. EVs shoehorned into ICE chassis by no means appear to work in addition to fully-new electrical automobiles.
Jalopnik reached out to Porsche for remark and can replace this story when and if we hear again.
