The Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman went out of production in October 2025, ending a mid-engined line that began in 1996. Porsche had already withdrawn the car from sale in Europe in early 2024, because it did not meet new UN cybersecurity rules. An electric replacement remains in development with no announced launch date.
Is the Porsche 718 Still Being Made?
No. Porsche North America said production of all 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman variants, including the RS models, was scheduled to end in October 2025, and the company is no longer taking orders.
As of 30 September 2026, Porsche sells no petrol 718 and has named no on-sale date for the electric car meant to replace it. New examples still reaching buyers are unsold dealer stock rather than fresh production.
Three Different Endings, Three Different Dates
Readers often describe the 718 as being discontinued once, but the car disappeared in stages, and which stage you noticed depended on where you live.
- Early 2024: Porsche withdrew the 718 from sale across Europe rather than re-engineer it for new cybersecurity rules.
- 2025: Porsche closed the order books in remaining markets, including the United States.
- October 2025: The scheduled end of production for every variant, the GT4 RS and Spyder RS included.
Assembly did not stop cleanly on that last date. Reporting on the plant that built the car indicates the line ran into spring 2026 to work through orders already placed, which is why cars continued to be delivered well after the announced cut-off.
Why Did Porsche Stop Building It?
Two forces met at once: a regulation the ageing car could not satisfy, and a plan to replace it with a battery-powered model.
The regulation was UN Regulation No. 155, which requires manufacturers to build defined cybersecurity processes into new vehicles and keep documentation to prove it. It applied to all new vehicles from 1 July 2024. Bringing the 718 into compliance would have meant substantially re-engineering a platform introduced in 2016, and Porsche judged the cost unjustifiable so close to the model’s planned end.
The commercial case did not force the decision. The 718 range recorded 23,670 deliveries in 2024, 15 per cent more than the year before, out of 310,718 Porsche deliveries worldwide that year. The car was ended while its sales were rising.
What the Decision Did to the Osnabrück Factory
The clearest consequence of the 718’s end landed on a factory rather than a showroom.
Porsche built the 718 at Zuffenhausen and later added capacity at Volkswagen’s plant in Osnabrück, the former Karmann works, which also assembled the VW T-Roc Cabriolet. Both models were scheduled to finish there by spring 2026, leaving the site without a follow-up product.
The expectation had been that Osnabrück would build the electric 718s. Porsche instead concluded that Zuffenhausen alone could cover them, given softer demand for electric cars, removing the need for overflow assembly. Volkswagen Group has since weighed closing the plant, with talks reported as continuing.
What Happened to the Electric Replacement?
It has slipped repeatedly and came close to being dropped, but development is continuing.
The successor was originally expected to appear around the end of 2025. It was pushed back after the insolvency of the battery maker Northvolt and the withdrawal of Valmet from a planned cell project left Porsche without a settled supply, with reports in March 2025 pointing to 2027.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| March 2025 | Electric 718 reported postponed to 2027 after battery supply problems |
| September 2025 | Porsche says it will keep top combustion models as electric demand slows |
| 1 January 2026 | Michael Leiters becomes chief executive of Porsche AG |
| February 2026 | Reports the board was considering abandoning the electric 718 before launch |
| March 2026 | Development reported as continuing, with no launch date given |
Michael Leiters took over as chief executive on 1 January 2026, an appointment announced on 17 October 2025. He had run McLaren Automotive since July 2022 and was previously Ferrari’s technical chief. Oliver Blume, his predecessor, remains chief executive of Volkswagen Group.
In March 2026 the head of Porsche’s Australian arm, Daniel Schmollinger, said of the electric car: “We can’t tell yet when it’s coming, but I had the chance to drive it, and it is actually amazing.” That remains the clearest public signal on the project’s status.
Porsche also said in September 2025 that it would continue offering its most powerful combustion derivatives as electric demand softened. Press reports since have described the next 718 as gaining petrol versions positioned above the electric models, a change Porsche has not detailed publicly.
What the 718 Was
The car being discussed is the fourth generation, the 982 series, launched in 2016 for the 2017 model year in Boxster roadster and Cayman coupé form.
Most versions used turbocharged flat-four engines of 2.0 or 2.5 litres, a switch from the naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines of earlier cars that drew persistent criticism. Porsche answered it from 2020 by fitting a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six, rated at 294 kW, to the GTS 4.0 and the GT4 and Spyder models. With the 718 gone, Porsche has put no direct successor on sale, leaving the 911 as its remaining sports car line.
The timing was not unique to Porsche. Toyota ended its own mid-size sports car, the GR Supra, in the same period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Porsche 718 Discontinued?
Yes. Petrol production was scheduled to finish in October 2025, and Porsche no longer accepts orders for the Boxster or Cayman.
Why Did the 718 Vanish From Europe Before Everywhere Else?
UN Regulation No. 155 on vehicle cybersecurity applied from 1 July 2024. Porsche pulled the car from European sale in early 2024 instead of rebuilding a platform dating from 2016 to comply.
Will There Be a New Porsche 718?
An electric successor is still in development, but Porsche has announced no launch date. Reports in February 2026 said the board had weighed cancelling it before later reports indicated work was continuing.
Where Was the Porsche 718 Built?
At Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart, with additional assembly at Volkswagen’s Osnabrück factory, the former Karmann works.
Did the 718 Sell Badly?
No. Deliveries rose 15 per cent in 2024 to 23,670 cars. Regulation and the planned move to electric power ended the model, not weak demand.
