THE BREAKDOWN Porsche remains committed to launching the 718 EVs. The electric Boxster and Cayman are 'amazing' to drive, according to a company executive. ICE-powered versions are not completely out of the question. It’s been four years since Porsche announced plans to replace the 718 lineup with a pair of EVs. A lot has happened since Zuffenhausen upset purists with its controversial decision to kill off the combustion engine in the Boxster and Cayman. The ICE models have been dead since last October, but their indirect electric replacements are still not here. An official debut for the 718 EV duo has yet to be announced, and rumors suggest the electric sports cars may be cancelled. However, a company executive is dismissing the reports, which surfaced soon after Michael Leiters took the reins from Oliver Blume. Speaking with Carsales, Porsche Cars Australia Managing Director and CEO Daniel Schmollinger effectively shut down rumors about scrapping the performance EVs: 'We can't tell yet when it's coming, but I had the chance to drive it, and it is actually amazing. So I had the chance to drive it on a race track and it was just amazing. A Boxster type of car should give you the weight distribution, a very go karty feeling and it provides that. And with the electric engine, of course, it gives you even more dynamic driving.' Meanwhile, Porsche has already backed away from its EV-only plans by pledging to bring back gasoline engines in the “top” versions of the 718. It’s unclear whether that implies dusting off the last-generation Boxster and Cayman with six-cylinder engines or reworking the PPE Sport platform underpinning the electric models to accommodate gas engines. Both scenarios could happen in succession. Reports claim Porsche will initially relaunch the gas-fueled 718 as an evolution of the 982-gen models, but with an electrified flat-six inherited from the 911 GTS. These cars are said to serve as a stopgap before the next-generation Boxster and Cayman arrive with combustion engines after the previously EV-only platform is adapted to support ICE. The company’s boss Down Under didn’t completely close the door on modifying PPE Sport to take gas engines: 'Headquarters is basically constantly evaluating where the opportunities are. Every six months they look into what can we do and what do we not want to do. There's nothing that we can communicate at this point in time, but definitely they know where the opportunities are.' While far from confirmation, the statement makes it clear that Porsche is keeping all options open. It increasingly seems that the return of conventional powertrains for the Boxster and Cayman won’t be temporary, with the German luxury brand aiming to please both camps by offering both ICE and EV versions. Porsche 718 Boxster EV rendering by Motor1 Porsche 718 Cayman EV rendering by Motor1 Motor1's Take: The Boxster and Cayman need their gas engines back ASAP. Despite getting up there in years, the cars were still generating solid volumes. Porsche moved a significant 18,612 vehicles in 2025, even though the 718 models were banished from Europe since mid-2024 after failing to meet a cybersecurity regulation. The entry-level sports cars generated a combined 23,670 units in 2024 and 20,518 examples the year before. But bringing back the 982 generation won’t happen overnight. Adapting the old platform to accommodate a hybrid powertrain and meet stricter emissions regulations will take time. Porsche hasn’t announced a firm launch date, which suggests it might not happen until around 2028. Consequently, truly next-generation cars are unlikely to arrive until after the end of the decade. While Porsche is making amends by reverting to ICE, Audi remains committed to selling the Concept C strictly with an electric drivetrain. Ingolstadt’s new sports car is said to be cut from the same cloth as the Boxster and Cayman EVs, but gas engines are not being considered. However, we’re holding out hope that the higher-ups at the Four Rings will reconsider this strategy and open the targa-topped performance vehicle to a much wider audience by shoehorning in an engine. In the meantime, Audi also had to refute rumors that it was killing off the Concept C. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
