Electric 718 "Cancel It" Opinion

[J-Dub]

Lots of great points made here really making me think. Thank you all for the conversion. No conclusions made yet but I am always looking forward to the future. Not many "fun" or "performance" based EVs in the market so that is either an untapped market or there is no market for it. Time will tell but I want to think a small and sporty EV would do well.

How is the Tesla model 3 Performance and some of the Hyundai N electric cars doing? I does not seem like this segment is that big at the moment.

[Tom]

...but that might be a paradox if the very act of electrifying them makes them un-fun. I think it comes down to the execution.

If we define "fun" as lots of noise, peaky power band and a bunch of gears, an EV will be un-fun. But if we decide that instant 'throttle' response, full-torque from 0 on up, and crazy acceleration can be 'fun', Porsche should be able to make that happen. The big feat will be keeping the weight down, but they are well aware of that. And while it's unrealistic with current battery technology to ask for an EV sports car to come in at the same ~3100 lbs (~1400 kg) as my current 718 Cayman, they should be able to hit ~3500 lbs (~1600 kg) which is what many 911s weigh. So good handling and road character is not impossible.

Yeah, I think there will be some who define fun that way and won't find any fun in an EV sports car, no matter how good it is. I'm sure there were horse riders who never embraced these horseless carriages too. And we all still know a few air-cooled diehards who could never get over the switch to water cooling. I'm bummed because I think the 718 is one of the purist sports cars out there, so very sorry to see it leave the market prematurely like this, but willing to give the EV version a chance. It'll need to be darn good though. I actually went and looked at the Tacan Turbo GT, which is face-melting fast, but its ergonomics didn't work for me -- the seat is too far back behind the b-pillar so getting in an out made me feel my age. Hopefully the new 718 is more like the current 718 and 911. Based on the spy shots I've seen, it sure looks a lot more like the 911 than the current 718...

[Arne2]

And yet...

The fact is that—while I am very accepting of EVs—an EV 718 successor can NOT replace my current Cayman. The Cayman is our road trip car, and the range/charging infrastructure is not able to replace our ICE car, not with current technology. Last year was Oregon to Banff in the Canadian Rockies. I would not have wanted to try to plan that trip around fixed range and finding DC charge stations.

I'm bummed because I think the 718 is one of the purist sports cars out there, so very sorry to see it leave the market prematurely like this...

I agree with your assessment, I sold a very 'pure' '72 911T MFI to switch to the 718, and have no regrets. It's an amazing platform.

But it's hard to say this is all that premature, the 718 has been in production for 9 years with no change (other than reintroducing the NA 6 in 2020), and is really more of a 981.2. So the basic structure has had a 13 year run (981 Boxster released in 2013).

[Throttlesteer]

And yet...

The fact is that—while I am very accepting of EVs—an EV 718 successor can NOT replace my current Cayman. The Cayman is our road trip car, and the range/charging infrastructure is not able to replace our ICE car, not with current technology. Last year was Oregon to Banff in the Canadian Rockies. I would not have wanted to try to plan that trip around fixed range and finding DC charge stations.

I'm bummed because I think the 718 is one of the purist sports cars out there, so very sorry to see it leave the market prematurely like this...

I agree with your assessment, I sold a very 'pure' '72 911T MFI to switch to the 718, and have no regrets. It's an amazing platform.

But it's hard to say this is all that premature, the 718 has been in production for 9 years with no change (other than reintroducing the NA 6 in 2020), and is really more of a 981.2. So the basic structure has had a 13 year run (981 Boxster released in 2013).

We will see for sure. I've done that drive, but not in my Cayman. I'm curious about joe it went? I'm near Portland, so probably not too far off of what you did.

[Arne2]

We will see for sure. I've done that drive, but not in my Cayman. I'm curious about joe it went? I'm near Portland, so probably not too far off of what you did.

I'm in Eugene. Left home, first night in or near Connell, WA, I think. Second day through Sandpoint into Canada and stayed in Radium Hot Springs. Third day north to Golden then east on TransCan 1 to Canmore where we spent the next several nights. Lots of sightseeing over those few days. Return home was Banff back to Radium Hot Springs, but this time on 93 through Kootenay NP, and straight back to Pasco for the night. Back home in Eugene the next.

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[Throttlesteer]

We will see for sure. I've done that drive, but not in my Cayman. I'm curious about joe it went? I'm near Portland, so probably not too far off of what you did.

I'm in Eugene. Left home, first night in or near Connell, WA, I think. Second day through Sandpoint into Canada and stayed in Radium Hot Springs. Third day north to Golden then east on TransCan 1 to Canmore where we spent the next several nights. Lots of sightseeing over those few days. Return home was Banff back to Radium Hot Springs, but this time on 93 through Kootenay NP, and straight back to Pasco for the night. Back home in Eugene the next.


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Very cool. Radium is where the big-horned sheep wander around in the street. We also saw a number of them on the Icefields Parkway. The top picture looks like Peyto Lake. It's a spectacular blue that almost seems unreal. I will have to do this trip in my Cayman at some point. Thanks for sharing.

[marin]

This video is from 3 years ago, but if it's anything like this, it's going to be bananas to drive.

[WillyDaP]

The argument is not about EU rules or that the 718 was getting dated , the situation I am viewing is lack of foresight for the market around the rest of the World. Porsche could have kept some workers busy, continued the Caysters and still sold it in the US and elsewhere. The continuation is not really that difficult, they already spent all the tooling costs, and it has been done so many times within the Industry ( some would argue continuing outdated models was first proven with the Beetle ) and the Dodge Challenger is the last great example. Doomed to stop in 2014 ( actually listed on C,DJ,R model projections to Dealers ), it was tweaked till 2024. I actually blame current Porsche/VW management for not looking forward to their larger Markets instead of focusing on the EU rulings and there are many in the Industry who feel the corporate management changes out there are due to this lack of having backup plans.