Porsche reconsiders electric future for 718 Cayman and Boxster

04 February 2026

Porsche has been planning to turn its famous 718 sports cars into electric cars for quite a while now. The development has taken much longer than expected, and many drivers were hoping to see the battery-powered Cayman and Boxster in showrooms very soon. Unfortunately, a new leader at the company might change everything. Michael Leiters took over as CEO on January 1, and he is already looking closely at the brand's expensive plans for EVs.

Building these two electric cars has not been easy or cheap. Porsche has dealt with many delays and rising costs, and one major problem involved the batteries. Porsche wanted to use special high-performance battery cells, but the company making them, Northvolt, went bankrupt. This left the carmaker in a tough spot. As it turns out, because of these issues, the electric 718 models might be canceled before they even get a chance to drive on public roads.

Money is a big part of this decision. Last year, Porsche saw its profits drop by £1.54 billion. A big reason for this loss was the company's heavy focus on electric cars. Sales in China also fell by 26 percent in 2025. Additionally, new taxes on cars imported to the United States have made things even harder. These financial struggles even caused Porsche to be removed from the DAX - a list of the most important companies on the German stock market.

The original plan was to stop making gas engines for the 718 line entirely. Porsche even retired the older gas-powered models to make room for the new EVs. Now, that strategy is changing. In September, Porsche announced that high-end versions of the next 718 would still use internal combustion engines. This includes fast models like the Cayman GT4, the GT4 RS, and the Spyder RS.

Now, there is talk that even more versions of the 718 could keep using gasoline. The company is also thinking about making a plug-in hybrid version. This might sound like a good middle ground, but it is very expensive to design. Engineers would have to create a whole new frame for the car to fit both systems. This would cost a lot of money again and take even more time.

If Porsche decides to keep working on the electric 718s, there is a risk they will be "old" by the time they arrive, since technology for electric cars moves very fast. These two cars have been delayed so many times that the screens and batteries inside might not be as good as what other companies are selling at the moment. CEO Michael Leiters has to decide if it is better to finish the project or start over with something different.

Fans of the brand are watching closely for sure. Many people love the 718 because it is a small, light sports car that is fun to drive. Adding heavy batteries for an EV version changes how the car feels on the road. But if the electric cars are canceled, it would be a huge shift for a company that once said it wanted most of its sales to be electric by the end of the decade.

For now, the future of the electric Boxster and Cayman is uncertain. The company is trying to save money and figure out what drivers actually want to buy. Whether the next 718s arrive as EVs, hybrids, or classic gas-powered machines, the decision will define Porsche for a long time.

Via