Porsche Drops Gas 718, Electric Cayman and Boxster in 2027

Porsche has confirmed the next-generation 718 will be fully electric: production of the 718 Cayman Electric and 718 Boxster Electric begins in 2027, and previously planned internal-combustion variants have been cancelled.

Porsche has cancelled gasoline versions of the next-generation 718 and will proceed only with electric Cayman and Boxster models, with production starting in 2027.

Decision and leadership context

The change follows a period of uncertainty after the final six- and four-cylinder 718 models left the assembly line in 2025. Michael Leiters, who became Porsche chief executive in January 2026, told Automotive News he had been skeptical about the 718 Electric until he drove a prototype. Leiters said that experience persuaded him of the cars' merits and confirmed the company will not produce gas-powered versions; "We'll stick with the electric car," he told Automotive News.

Battery placement and architecture

Porsche notes that conventional EV packaging, with battery cells flat in the floor, conflicts with the mid-engine two-seater layout and its low seating position and centralized mass. The brand instead uses a mid-battery package it calls E-Core Architecture, placing the high-voltage traction battery in a central, mid-mounted location more akin to where the combustion engine normally sits in a 718.

The 718 Electric uses an 800-volt electrical architecture and a battery composed of three modules arranged across two levels. Porsche says the pack also serves structural functions, adding stiffness and shaping the vehicle's design and seating position.

Weight distribution and technical figures

Robert Meier, Porsche vice president of vehicle architecture and characteristics, provided weight distribution figures to Automotive News: the 718 Electric places 55.2 percent of its weight over the rear axle, compared with roughly 59 percent for the 2025 internal-combustion 718 models. Porsche describes the electric 718 as closer to neutral on the front-to-rear balance; the company noted final dynamics will depend on the vehicle's curb weight.

Lineup timing and brand implications

According to Porsche, the 718 Electric will join the Taycan, Macan Electric and Cayenne Electric as the brand's fourth battery-electric model line. The marque's testing and prototype activity for the 718 has been visible for years, but development delays, leadership changes and shifting EV market conditions left the program's outcome uncertain until Leiters' reassessment earlier in 2026.

The report also mentions that Audi's Concept C has been linked to the platform work for the 718 Electric and could, over time, lead to a production model using related underpinnings.