We knew this day would come, so don’t be too sad that Porsche is about to pull the plug on its gas-fueled 718 duo. The current-generation Boxster and Cayman have been on their deathbeds since last year, when the sports cars were retired from Europe due to stricter cybersecurity regulations. Motor1 has now learned that the rest of the world will also lose Zuffenhausen’s entry-level performance machines later this year.
Porsche Cars North America’s head of Product Communications, Frank Wiesmann, told us that the fourth-generation Boxster and Cayman (982 series) have entered their final months of production. The last units are scheduled to be built in October. While the main Zuffenhausen plant has been assembling the cars since 2016, some production was moved in 2022 to Osnabrück, where Volkswagen will continue building the oddball T-Roc Convertible until 2027.
2024 marked the final full year of production for the mid-engine coupe and convertible, with sales rising 15 percent to 23,670 units. In the first quarter of 2025, shipments fell 22 percent to 4,498 vehicles, unsurprising given the 718’s discontinuation in the European Union and other markets following EU legislation. It’s worth noting that the Boxster RS Spyder and Cayman GT4 RS continued in those regions, as the special editions were exempt from the rules due to their limited production runs.
Although discontinued models are almost always replaced quickly by next-generation versions or different vehicles, Porsche is taking time with the 718’s (indirect) successor. The fully electric Boxster and Cayman are still being developed, so the EVs won’t launch this year. During the Annual General Meeting yesterday, CEO Oliver Blume said that the silent sports cars will arrive in the “medium term.” He added that both will be “even more dynamic, even more powerful, with a pure driving experience.”
Porsche has admitted its previous goal of having EVs account for 80 percent of annual sales by 2030 is no longer feasible. Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that the ICE Boxster and Cayman are being phased out. However, Zuffenhausen is applying a different strategy to the rest of its lineup. The Cayenne will coexist with the upcoming EV variant well into the 2030s. The Panamera will also retain its gas engines into the next decade. The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 is being reengineered to comply with Euro 7 regulations and will continue into the 2030s.
The first-generation Macan will be retired in 2026, leaving only the electric second-generation model on sale. It died last year in the EU for the same reason Porsche was forced to pull the plug on the 718s. However, Porsche is exploring a new gas-powered crossover to replace the original Macan, launched 11 years ago. If approved, the unnamed model would arrive near the end of the decade with pure ICE and hybrid powertrains.
Additionally, Porsche is even considering adding combustion engines to vehicles initially intended to be fully electric. Last November, the company’s former Chief Financial Officer, Lutz Meschke, mentioned that surprising possibility: “We are currently looking at the possibility of the originally planned all-electric vehicles having a hybrid drive or a combustion engine.”
During this week’s meeting, Blume also mentioned that the electric lineup “will continue to grow as planned.” His statement indicates that the large, three-row SUV first announced a few years ago is still in development, despite EV sales falling short of Porsche’s earlier projections.
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