Porsche brought electric power to its sports car lineup for the first time last year with the launch of the 911 GTS Hybrid, but that’s pretty mild compared with what’s about to happen to the 911’s Boxster and Cayman baby siblings. The two-seat coupe and roadster are ditching combustion technology altogether, and spy photographers have just snapped a couple of Cayman prototypes trialing their EV powertrains on and around the Nurburgring.

Related: Porsche 718 Cayman Electric Spied For First Time

Our scoop photo teams has spotted the Boxster several times before over the last couple of years and they snapped some grainy, long-lens pics of the Cayman on its first trip outdoors at the beginning of the year. But these fresh images are much sharper and show two cars with different wheel designs.

A Familiar Silhouette, Under New Power

Despite switching to an all-electric powertrain, the proportions of the new Cayman are very similar to those of today’s ICE-powered car. It still looks like a classic mid-engined junior supercar with a nose that dives towards the pavement and a sleek fastback tail. One of the great things about the ICE 718s is how practical they are thanks to having a trunk at either end, and we expect the EVs to carry on that tradition.

The set of pictures taken on the Nurburgring itself shows a small active spoiler at the base of the liftback hatch in a raised position. Directly below it in the center of the bumper is the charging flap for the battery that is mounted vertically behind the seats and will feature 800-volt tech. The nose features the same active cooling slats seen on the 911 GTS Hybrid and the disguise on the rear quarter window and lower quarter panel hides an upswept windowline and lower air intake, like on the Mission R concept.

Rear-Drive or All-Wheel Drive? You’ll Have Options

Images: Baldauf

Both single-motor, rear-wheel drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive versions should be available when the Boxster and Cayman go on sale in 2026 as MY27 cars. Though the 911 has been available with AWD traction for 35 years, this will be the first time it’s been offered in the mid-engined, entry-level sports cars.

Porsche has partially put the brakes on its electrification plans due to slower-than-expected development of the electric market, and is extending the lifespan of combustion engines and re-engineering some still-secret new EVs to take ICE power. But the new 718 Boxster and Cayman were too far down the development path to be reconfigured with an ICE option in time for launch.

It’s possible Porsche could adapt them and introduce combustion options later, as Fiat is doing by turning its slow-selling 500e into a hybrid. Although global 718 sales were down in Q1, that was largely due to the car being dropped in Europe due to the same cybersecurity regulations that forced the demise of the old ICE Fiat 500. In the US, 718 sales almost doubled in the first three months of this year.

The Real Test: Handling Like a Porsche

Porsche is also reported to have been struggling to make the EV Cayman handle as well as the outgoing combustion car, a problem that might have led to pushing back the planned debut from 2025 to 2026 – and can only drive sales of the current 718. The automaker can’t afford to mess the handling up, because the Cayman Electric is going to face some stuff competition from the new Alpine A110 EV.

Images: Baldauf

Porsche already has one electric SUV in its lineup – the Macan Electric – but it’s about to give it a big brother in the form of the 2026 Cayenne Electric, which debuts late this year. Our spy photographers have captured a pair of prototypes testing, but far from being identical twins, they feature some important differences.

Both models are still wearing the fairly heavy camouflage we’ve seen on previous prototypes over the past 12 months. The disguise covers parts of the front and rear bumpers and the lower sections of the doors. But it doesn’t prevent us noticing that only one of the SUVs has what appears to be active aero flaps in the lower bumper, just like the ones seen on the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid. It also has a splitter attached to the lowest point of the bumper, suggesting it’s a performance version, perhaps a GTS.

Related: 2027 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Goes Electric In New Spy Shots

The other Cayenne doesn’t have the lower lip spoiler or the same active aero slats (though it’s possible they could still move). Instead it has a less macho bumper with horizontal bars and the ADAS sensor stands proud of the bumper surface, rather than being recessed, as on the other SUV.

This less performance-focused bumper appears to provide a better approach angle, so we could be looking at an off-road-themed Cayenne. That idea is backed up by the slightly flared rear arch lips on this Cayenne, which aren’t present on the one with the GTS aero flaps. Further confusing matters, only the non-flap SUV has boxy vents below its taillights.

When the full bumper disguise comes off we’re expecting to see a split headlight arrangement, just like the one on the Macan Electric and Audi’s Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron. Those three are based around the same VW Group PPE platform that will also be used for the Cayenne EV in both standard and Coupe forms.

Entry-level Cayennes will probably also share their powertrains with mid- or high-spec Macans, which feature a 509 hp (516 PS / 380 kW) bi-motor setup in 4S trim and 630 hp (639 PS / 470 kW) in Turbo guise. And given the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S serve up 872 hp (884 PS / 650 kW) and 939 hp (700 kW / 952 PS), we imagine the hot Cayennes will be similarly potent.

The Cayenne Electric isn’t the only EV Porsche is working on. All-new, all-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman sports cars are on the way, and were set to debut this year, but that launch could be pushed back to 2026 as Porsche grapples with a performance EV market that hasn’t matured the way it hoped when it began planning these models more than five years ago.

Images: SHProshots