More than two years have passed since we last spied a Boxster Electric prototype testing. It’s almost like Porsche forgot about it. And there must be some suits at Stuttgart who would rather forget about it, because the world in which the EV sports car is about to debut is very different to the one Porsche imagined when it green lighted the project more than five years ago.

We’ll get to that problem in a minute, but for now let’s take a look at these fresh spy shots because they show the Boxster EV with almost non camo for the first time ever. Sure, it’s still got some misleading stickers around the front and rear lights and rear quarters, but we can see the true shapes of those lights and the heavy disguise has gone from the bumpers.

Related: Porsche’s Next Supercar Could Be An Audi That’s Really A Lamborghini

That means we can see this Boxster has the same vertical, active cooling slats in its front grille that Porsche has already deployed in the 911 GTS and Turbo. Lesser models, and their Cayman EV counterparts, are likely to have a simpler grille design, as the base 911 Carrera and Carrera S have. Shots from the rear showing a diffuser panel and lack of exhaust tailpipes confirm Porshe is sticking to its EV plan for the two-seater – for now, at least.

Besides the grille, there’s another indicator that we’re looking at a hotter version of the Boxster Electric. Previous spy shots showed a digital gauge cluster and conventional internal door handles. But this car has fabric, loop-style handles of the kind usually reserved for cars like the 911 GT3 or the old Cayman GT4 and its Boxster Spyder brother.

Choose One Or Two Motors

Intel from sources close to Porsche suggests base cars will get a single motor driving the rear wheels, but the big news is the rumored availability of dual-motor powertrains in more expensive versions that will give the Boxster and Cayman their first all-wheel drive options.

If Porsche’s GT4 e-Performance racer concept is any guide, expect up to 604 hp (612 PS / 450 kW) for the hottest AWD cars and the option of a virtual paddle-shift transmission, a feature recently added to the Taycan lineup. A T-shaped battery mounted in the transmission tunnel and behind the seats keeps the floorpan low and replicates the weight distribution of a typical mid-engined, ICE-powered car.

EV First, Gas Later

The Boxster and Cayman Electric go in sale in 2027, but a couple of years after that, they’ll be joined by combustion versions, potentially limited to the top of the lineup. That was never part of the plan, but Porsche’s hand has been forced by a dramatic slowdown in EV sales.

The Boxster and Cayman Electric were conceived in the late 2010s, a period when Porsche’s Taycan was still enjoying its honeymoon glow and the car industry was projecting electric cars would soon relegate old-fashioned combustion vehicles to a sideshow act. Now, in 2026, it’s true that EV sales are riding high, though not universally.

Taycan To Tap-Out?

One in four mass-market cars sold in Europe is now electric and the numbers are growing. But luxury buyers and American drivers aren’t buying EVs. They want gas cars. The Taycan is tanking and could reportedly die soon, but since it was too late to scrap the Boxster and Cayman Electric, which have the added complication of sharing their platform and hardware with Audi’s upcoming TT replacement, Porsche opted to re-engineer them for combustion power instead.

Would you buy an electric Boxster or is Porsche setting itself up for a massive fall? Leave a comment and let us know.

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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.

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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

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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

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.