The electric Porsche Cayman and Boxster may be alive after all

Back in early February, a rumor claimed Porsche would be axing the electric Cayman and Boxster projects under the leadership of newly appointed CEO Michael Leiters, or at least reconsidering their viability.

Now, Porsche Cars Australia Managing Director and CEO Daniel Schmollinger begs to differ. He says the project is very much still alive, and he's even driven the electric Boxster, which he describes as "amazing" to drive.

The next-generation electric 718 Boxster and Cayman remain crucial vehicles for the brand, according to Schmollinger. He steered clear of announcing when we should expect these to launch, however.

On the other hand, he has promised that the mid-engine dynamics will remain intact in the electric versions of these cars. Schmollinger told carsales:

So I had the chance to drive it on a race track and it was just amazing. A Boxster type of car should give you the weight distribution, a very go-karty feeling and it provides that. And with the electric engine, of course, it gives you even more dynamic driving.

When asked whether there will be combustion engines on offer for the next-gen 718 series, or even a plug-in hybrid, here's what he had to say:

This is still very early and we can't speculate. There's no official announcement. Headquarters is basically constantly evaluating where the opportunities are. Every six months they look into what can we do and what do we not want to do. So there is opportunity out there. There's nothing that we can communicate at this point in time, but definitely they know where the opportunities are.