Goodbye! Porsche's fuel-powered 718 has officially ceased sales, and the all-electric version is coming soon.
A piece of news a few days ago marked the end of an era:
Porsche has officially closed the order channels for the gasoline-powered 718 Boxster and Cayman globally.
This decision is actually not sudden. As early as the beginning of 2024, a strict new EU regulation forced the 718 to withdraw from the European market.
Now, this farewell has finally extended to the whole world.
Although Porsche will no longer accept new orders, the production lines in Zuffenhausen and Osnabrück will still operate for some time. Their current task is to complete all the backlogged orders. It is said that this work will not end until 2026.
It is certain that the last batch of gasoline-powered 718s rolling off the production line will become the target of the collector's market from the moment of delivery.
Actually, according to Porsche's original plan, the gasoline-powered 718 should have ended its production earlier. It was just some unplanned variables that allowed this popular sports car to survive for one more year.
But anyway, what is meant to come will always come.
The end of the gasoline-powered 718 is also the new starting point for the 718: its all-electric version.
Out with the old, in with the new
The replacement rhythm of the 718 product line has actually been disrupted for a long time. This is because two originally unrelated problems unexpectedly collided.
On the one hand, the gasoline-powered version had to withdraw early due to external regulations; on the other hand, the highly anticipated all-electric successor failed to arrive on time to take over due to its own and supply chain problems.
Let's first look at the gasoline-powered version.
The most direct reason for the withdrawal of the gasoline-powered 718 is the Network Security Regulation No. 155 (UN R155) issued and enforced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. This regulation requires that car manufacturers must establish and certify a complete "network security management system" throughout the entire life cycle of the vehicle.
This is a concept of "security by design", and it is precisely an insurmountable obstacle for the 718, which was born in the "old era".
2010 Cayman
The electronic and electrical architecture of the just-discontinued generation of the 718 (codenamed 982) was developed more than a decade ago. In that era, the entire industry had little concept of today's systematic network security standards. Its underlying architecture was not designed to meet such requirements at all.
To make this platform meet the new regulations, it requires far more than just a software upgrade. It is a "major surgery" involving the reconstruction of the control unit and the vehicle network. According to industry reports, the investment in this transformation is almost half of the budget for developing a new car.
Facing such a high cost for a model about to be replaced, Porsche's business decision is rational: abandon the transformation and invest all resources in the research and development of the next-generation model.
If the story ended here, it would just be a normal product iteration case. But the complexity of the problem lies in that the highly anticipated all-electric successor was also late.
Rendering of the all-electric 718, Image source: Autocar
In 2024, Porsche's battery supplier Northvolt encountered financial difficulties, and Porsche also faced some problems with the power system. As a result, they had to postpone the release of this all-electric sports car, which was originally scheduled for last year. The latest schedule points to a release in 2025 and a market launch in 2026.
Well, the time is almost here.
All the signs indicate that Porsche is accelerating the progress to ensure that this highly anticipated new car can make its debut on time. The most direct evidence is that the all-electric 718 test cars with less and less camouflage have frequently appeared in the lenses around the world.
Spy photo of the all-electric 718, Image source: Carscoops
On the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Porsche's hometown of Germany, people have seen the all-electric 718 Cayman. Although the car body is still camouflaged, we can still see that it continues the classic silhouette and dynamic posture of a mid-engine sports car.
Spy photo of the all-electric 718, Image source: motor1
Although it has become an all-electric model, the front of the Cayman is still as low as before. The design of the lamp group clearly shows the influence of the Taycan. It is equipped with an active opening and closing grille in the front, and the fastback rear is equipped with a small active rear spoiler and more elongated taillights. Overall, the all-electric 718 continues the classic while integrating more modern electrification elements.
In China, which is crucial to the electric vehicle market, there has even been an all-electric 718 Boxster test car with a green license plate. Spy photos show that the overall silhouette of this car is basically the same as that of the Cayman, especially the style of the headlights at the front, which is highly recognizable. The rear of the convertible version is very flat, and the long and narrow LED taillight group is very neat.
These road tests that are synchronized globally and penetrate into different markets indicate that this all-electric sports car has entered the final global verification stage before mass production.
Judging from the currently known information, the foundation of the all-electric 718 is quite solid. It will be built on the PPE platform jointly developed by Porsche and Audi. Like its sibling model, the Taycan, it will adopt an 800V architecture. In terms of power, Porsche plans to offer two versions: single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive. Its power performance will surely surpass that of the previous gasoline-powered models.
Of course, for a Porsche, handling is the real core.
In order to reproduce as much as possible the mid-engine rear-wheel drive driving experience that the gasoline-powered 718 is famous for, Porsche's engineers have concentrated the battery pack behind the cockpit to simulate the weight distribution and the overall center of gravity of a traditional mid-engine car. Yes, it's a bit like the SC01 sports car from Gongjiang Automobile.
It can be said that Porsche is doing its best to solve the age-old problem: how to retain the pure driving pleasure in the era of electrification.
Different from the Taycan, the all-electric 718 has no way back
Nokia ultimately failed to answer the question, "What exactly is a mobile phone in the smart era?"
Like Nokia at that time, Porsche now has to answer a question that is also a matter of life and death.
Because speed and performance have always been just the entry ticket for Porsche, not its real trump card.
When an ordinary electric vehicle can achieve a 0 - 100 km/h acceleration in less than 3 seconds, Porsche needs to answer a more profound question: Where will the "soul" of the brand be placed after the disappearance of the internal combustion engine?
For a long time, the "driving pleasure" defined by Porsche is a high-density sensory experience mediated by precision machinery. It is the unique heartbeat and roar of the horizontally opposed engine behind, the clear physical feedback of each gear shift of the PDK transmission, and the continuous dialogue between the vehicle's posture and road information transmitted through the chassis and steering wheel. This game and communication between humans and machines based on physical laws together constitute the core charm of Porsche.
And electrification has largely cut off this traditional path of communication.
When those familiar sensory stimuli are stripped away, a more arduous task is on the table: how to create a similarly engaging and uniquely Porsche driving experience with software and algorithms under a new set of physical rules?
From the Taycan, which is also an all-electric model, we can see some directions of Porsche's efforts.
In addition to the already determined mid-mounted battery layout to defend the first line of handling at the physical level, the more important work lies in the software and electronic control system.
For example, Porsche's mature Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) system can distribute power more quickly and actively in the electric era through the electronically controlled rear differential lock and precise braking of the rear wheels, making the vehicle more flexible in corners than a mechanical differential lock. At the same time, the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system will also inevitably evolve, using the instantaneous response ability of the electric motor to achieve more intelligent and delicate chassis control.
Michael Steiner, the head of Porsche's R & D, has publicly promised that Porsche will provide the new 718 series with "braking and handling polished by motorsports", which can give users "the feeling of a real sports car".
Spy photo of the all-electric 718, Image source: Carscoops
However, even if Porsche thinks it has solved this problem, it has only completed half of the challenge.
The greater challenge comes from the outside. In the past few years when Porsche was buried in the research and development of the all-electric 718, the global automotive market landscape, especially in China, has undergone earth-shaking changes.
This change has been directly reflected in Porsche's financial reports. In 2025, Porsche's operating pressure has increased sharply. Its global sales in the first half of the year decreased by nearly 9%. In its two major core markets - Germany and China, sales decreased by 23% and 28% respectively. The operating profit and sales return rate have almost returned to the level of a decade ago.
In the Chinese market, what the all - electric 7