Porsche 718 Discontinued: The Petrol Cayman Is Dead — and the Electric One May Never Arrive

A sports car caught between two eras

Porsche built its last combustion 718 in October 2025. That month, according to reports from Carscoops and AutoGuide, the final petrol-powered Boxster and Cayman left production, closing the internal-combustion era for the model line. In an orderly world this would be a bittersweet handover: old car out, new car in, everyone raises a glass and moves on.

This is not an orderly world. The electric 718 that was supposed to pick up the baton has slipped well past its original launch window, and in February 2026 Bloomberg (via Motor1) reported that Porsche's new CEO, Michael Leiters, is considering axing the electric 718 Cayman and Boxster entirely — before either car reaches a showroom.

So the phrase "Porsche 718 discontinued" is not clickbait. As of mid-2026 it is a plain description of the situation. The petrol car is gone, the electric car is in doubt, and Porsche's entry sports car currently exists mostly as a line on an organisation chart.

How the electric successor lost its way

The electric 718 was originally planned for 2025. It never made that date. According to InsideEVs, the programme slipped because of battery-supply problems and software delays — the same twin gremlins that have haunted much of the industry's EV transition.

Delays alone would be survivable. Porsche has delayed cars before. The deeper problem, per Bloomberg's reporting via Motor1, is that the business case underneath the car has weakened: EV demand has come in softer than Porsche expected, while development costs keep rising. A company balancing its books starts asking hard questions about a low-volume electric sports car, and the reported answer from the top floor is not reassuring.

There is an uncomfortable contrast here. Porsche has pushed electrification hard elsewhere in its range — see our 2026 Porsche Cayenne Electric review for how convincing that push can be in a big SUV. But an electric two-seater has to sell on emotion rather than practicality, and emotion is exactly where sceptical sports-car buyers have been slowest to come around.

Is the Porsche 718 discontinued for good?

Probably not — but the route back is murky. Autocar sources, cited by Hagerty, report that the next Cayman and Boxster are being re-engineered for ICE power. If accurate, that would be another sharp reversal of Porsche's EV plan: a model line killed in petrol form in October 2025, potentially reborn in petrol form after its electric replacement stumbled.

Treat all of this as reported rather than confirmed. Leiters weighing cancellation is a Bloomberg report, not an announcement. The ICE re-engineering story comes from unnamed sources. Porsche has committed to nothing publicly, which is precisely why the 718 sits in limbo rather than on a roadmap.

What is not in doubt is the strangeness of the moment. The Porsche 911 has survived every industry upheaval with its lineage intact. Its junior sibling, by contrast, has simply stopped — a rare event we log in our Discontinued Car Tracker, and rarer still for a car this good with no successor in sight.

The honest assessment

Porsche's caution is defensible. Launching an expensive electric sports car into weak EV demand could damage both the balance sheet and the badge, and a delayed U-turn is cheaper than a failed launch. If the reported ICE re-engineering happens, enthusiasts get the ending they wanted all along.

But the cost of indecision is real. Every month without a 718 leaves Porsche's entry point empty and hands sports-car buyers to rivals. Dithering between electric and petrol also risks delivering the worst of both: a late EV nobody asked for, or a rushed ICE revival. The petrol 718 bowed out as one of the best-sorted sports cars on sale. Its successor — whatever powers it — inherits very high expectations and, right now, no launch date.

The questions buyers actually ask

Can I still buy a new petrol 718 Cayman or Boxster? Production ended in October 2025, so it is remaining dealer stock only, and availability varies by market. Once those cars are gone, they are gone.

Will the electric 718 definitely be cancelled? No decision has been announced. Bloomberg's February 2026 reporting says Leiters is considering axing it; separately, Autocar sources report a shift back to ICE power. Both remain unconfirmed.

Are used 718s a smart buy now the model is discontinued? Last-of-line combustion Porsches tend to attract enthusiast interest, but nobody can promise values will rise — buy one to drive, not as an investment, and this is not financial advice.

Key takeaways

• Combustion 718 Boxster and Cayman production ended in October 2025, closing the model's ICE era.
• The electric 718 was planned for 2025 but slipped due to battery-supply and software delays.
• New CEO Michael Leiters is reportedly considering cancelling the electric 718 before launch (Bloomberg via Motor1, February 2026).
• Autocar sources report the next Cayman and Boxster are being re-engineered for ICE power — another EV-plan reversal.
• The retreat reflects weaker-than-expected EV demand and rising development costs as Porsche balances its books.