Is This Electric Porsche Boxster Secretly An Audi In Disguise?
The Volkswagen Group plans to launch three electric sports cars, and this is one of them.
The Breakdown
- Ingolstadt plates hint at Audi's version of the Boxster EV.
- Porsche has reconfirmed the electric 718 Boxster/Cayman is still happening.
- Audi's production version of the Concept C launches in 2027.
Porsche has been testing its electric Boxster since at least November 2022, when car paparazzi first spotted an open-top 718 without a combustion engine. Nearly four years later, a production version is still nowhere to be found in showrooms. Nevertheless, the two-door electric sports car from Zuffenhausen is still coming to market, eventually… In the meantime, its alter ego bearing the Four Rings may have been spotted at the Nürburgring.
Although it looks like a fairly typical Boxster EV prototype, one small detail may betray the vehicle’s true identity: the license plate. The performance electric test car has been registered in Ingolstadt (IN), where Audi calls home. We may be looking at an early near-production version of the Concept C, but it won’t share the same roof setup as its Porsche sibling. Motor1 has learned the road-going electric sports car from Audi will be sold exclusively with a retractable targa top, a first for the brand.
As evidenced by spy footage shot at and around the iconic German track, Porsche will stay true to the Boxster formula and give the 718 EV a fabric roof. While the next-generation Boxster will once again get a Cayman coupe sibling, the same won’t be true for the Audi model. The targa-only Concept C features two roof panels that stow beneath the rear deck, turning the coupe into a roadster at the push of a button.
The two VW Group brands also have different strategies for powertrains. Combustion-engine versions will join the new Boxster and Cayman EVs for the top variants. By contrast, Audi has already said the production-ready Concept C will be an electric-only affair. Neither company has confirmed the cars will be mechanically related, but it’s easy to connect the dots.
Daniel Schuster, Spokesperson for Technical Development at Audi, told us that the electric Audi is underpinned by a new platform “that will be shared within the [Volkswagen] Group.” While the Concept C features a rear-wheel-drive setup with a single motor, the architecture will also support a front motor for a Quattro all-wheel-drive configuration.
Audi has already tapped into the VW Group parts bin to develop a new performance model, using the Lamborghini Temerario as the basis for its Nuvolari supercar. Logic suggests that, much like Lamborghini did the heavy development lifting for Ingolstadt’s supercar, Porsche is doing the same for the Concept C. After all, Zuffenhausen has been working on the 718 EV for several years, meaning Audi may have been able to fast-track its targa model by leaning heavily on its partner.
The Concept C will evolve into a production model at some point in 2027. An educated guess suggests Porsche will launch the electric Boxster beforehand. The 718 EV was originally due in 2025, and while no official explanation for the delay has been given, reports point to development hurdles.
2025 Audi Concept C
Motor1's Take: Will these cars sell? Our immediate response is that both Porsche and Audi could struggle to move these performance EVs off dealer lots. At least Porsche is better positioned, thanks to a gas-powered fallback for the Boxster and Cayman, whereas Audi is putting all its proverbial eggs in the EV basket.
Unlike the Nuvolari, which is capped at 499 units, the smaller sports car is expected to be a regular production model and a permanent part of the lineup. As much as we’d like to see a combustion engine beneath the concept’s horizontal slats, it’s not going to happen. Shoe-horning in the inline-five would effectively revive the idea of an entry-level R8 with Audi’s 2.5-liter engine, something once considered but ultimately shelved.
Audi Is Making An Electric Sports Car:
Source: Carspotter Jeroen / YouTube
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