Porsche Preparing Main Plant To Build 718 EV Sports Car, Macan EV Motors

The next-generation 718 electric sports car will be built on the same line as Porsche models with a boxer engine.

New Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) at Porsche's Zuffenhausen plant

Photo by: Porsche

Dan Mihalascu

By: Dan Mihalascu

Nov 16, 2023 at 3:34pm ET

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Porsche wants people to know it is serious about electrification, which is why it is announcing upgrades to its main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, the home of the legendary 911 and the 718 Cayman and Boxster.

After repeated delays caused mostly by software platform development issues, Porsche is gearing up for the launch of its next-generation electric vehicles starting next year.

We're talking about the all-important Macan EV SUV coming in sometime in 2024 and the all-electric 718 sports car, expected in late 2025.

The automaker has announced that it is carrying "extensive reconstruction measures and extensions" at its core plant to accommodate production of the next-generation 718 electric sports cars on the traditional assembly line, alongside Porsche models with a boxer engine.

We already knew that the Macan EV will also be made in parallel with the ICE Macan for a while, which may indicate that Porsche isn't ready to put all its eggs in the same basket just yet.

New light tunnel at Porsche's Zuffenhausen plant

The carmaker said it is putting some 250 million euros ($271 million) in the construction work, which will include upgrading numerous production systems and integrating the assembly of the electric powertrain for the Macan EV into the existing engine plant in Zuffenhausen.

After assembly, the Macan EV electric powertrains will be shipped to Porsche's Leipzig plant where vehicle production will be taking place.

"60 years of the Porsche 911 and 75 years of Porsche sports cars: the double anniversary marks a special year for Porsche. The reconstruction measures and extensions to sports car production at our main plant are an important milestone for the Zuffenhausen site," said Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG.

"The conversion measures will enable increased efficiency, the highest quality standards, and mixed production of combustion-engine and electric sports cars. This will see us start a new chapter in sports car production in terms of the smart factory."

As part of the modernization program, Porsche has extended the production line area for two-door sports cars at the main plant. This area will use automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which will replace the traditional assembly line with a so-called 'Flexiline' that will enable EVs and ICEs to be assembled on the same line. Porsche already uses AGVs for the production of the Taycan.