Next gen Porsche Boxster and Cayman to get 718 badge

There has been a lot reported on both Porsche repeatedly making and then scrapping an entry-level model, slotting below the Boxster. As we had reported, Detlev von Platen, CEO of Porsche Cars North America was quoted saying, “You won’t see anything lower than the current Boxster model. We had many discussions about this in the group, and the decision was made that the time is not right.”

While it is true that we won’t see a sub-Boxster Porsche any time soon, there are reports that now suggest that the ‘718’ moniker will be used to group the German performance car makers mid-engined cars, namely the Boxster and the Cayman. In the same way as the ‘911’ name is used for a range of cars, starting from the standard to the Carrera, to the 911 Turbo S, the Boxster and Cayman will be the coupe and convertible versions of the ‘718’. This will lead to the introduction of more variants, including a new entry-level model, while keeping the traditional line-up. The ‘718’ name is a throwback to the open-cockpit racing car built by Porsche between 1957 and 1962.

We4 expect the210bhp flat-four 1.6-litre turbo petrol mill to feature in the most stripped down of models, while there will be a 2.0-litre flat-four with around 285bhp and 400Nm of torque replacing the 2.7-litre flat-six mill, and the range-topping 2.5-litre flat-four making around 360bhp and 470Nm of torque will replace the current 3.4-litre flat-six that currently comes with both models.

Expect to see the Porsche 718 appear sometime in 2016, before going on sale as a 2017 model. In the meantime, the German brand’s America Head has confirmed that their pre-owned program is their ‘entry-level’ model. In addition, Porsche will be updating the current Cayman and Boxster models with high-performance variants called GT4 and RS Spyder, respectively. Stay tuned for more information about the new direction of Porsche’s smaller sports cars as we hear more about the new Porsche 718 range.