Porsche ends 718 Cayman and Boxster ahead of EV return

The pair of ICE powered two-seater sports cars have been on sale since 2005 and 1996, respectively. With electric replacements due out next year, Porsche says it will not reprise the petrol-powered sportsters.

It has now stopped taking new car orders for the coupé and convertible ahead of the production ending soon. Cars can still be ordered from existing stock and any current orders will be built.

The models have been an integral part of the Porsche sports car line-up since 1996 for the Boxster and 2005 for the Cayman. Fourth-generation models went on sale in 2016.

They pair will be sold exclusively as electric sports cars when they go on sale again next year.

There were rumours that the ICE-powered twins might continue on alongside the new electric models. However, Porsche told Autocar UK recently that this wasn’t the case.

Almost the opposite is true for the incoming Macan replacement and the update for the Cayenne. Both new models will sit alongside their electric namesakes.

The new electric sports car pair will use the Volkswagen Group’s new EV-specific PPE platform as their basis.

Evidently the new cars will be positioned similarly to the existing ICE versions in their size, styling and philosophy. That’s despite the fact they will have little mechanically in common. 

Porsche R&D chief, Michael Steiner, said of the pair that they will be set up to feature motorsport-honed braking and handling. He added that they will offer a “real sports car feeling”.

The electric pair were due to launch this year but there were delays with engineering, software development and battery sourcing. That meant the launch date was pushed back to 2026.