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Porsche started developing its next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxster electric sports cars in 2019, and it looks like it may still take a while until they reach showrooms.

As the automaker backtracked on its electrification commitments due to the EV downturn, reports started to emerge (including from Bloomberg) about the death of the 718 Cayman and Boxster EVs. Porsche did nothing to refute the rumors, and then in mid-February we’ve learned that a top-level meeting had been called to decide the fate of the electric sports cars.

Porsche made no official announcement after that reported meeting, but it would appear that a decision was made to keep the all-electric 718 Cayman and Boxster in development.

Porsche Australia Boss Says That Development Continues

While an official debut date for the two battery-powered sports cars is yet to be announced, Porsche Cars Australia CEO Daniel Schmollinger last week denied rumors about the project being canceled. He told CarSales that he has already driven the car and described it as being “amazing.”

Schmollinger revealed that the 718 EV will retain the mid-engine dynamic that has been a staple of the Boxster and Cayman for two decades. “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,” he noted. “And with the electric engine, of course, it gives you even more dynamic driving.”

The executive wouldn’t comment further on specific details such as performance figures, and when asked whether the upcoming 718 models would also offer combustion engines, he replied that it’s “too early” and “there’s no official announcement.” That said, he did concede that the door remains open to combustion-engine Porsche 718s, noting that “there is opportunity out there.”

Schmollinger’s comments strongly suggest the electric 718 Boxster and Cayman remain on track despite earlier speculation about delays and even a possible cancelation.

What About the Gas-Powered 718 Sports Cars?

As reported before, the big question is whether Porsche will rework the EV-only PPE Sport EV platform to accommodate a gas engine, since the architecture has no provisions for a combustion motor, transmission, fuel tank and many other components specific to ICE vehicles.

We do know that Porsche stopped taking orders for the current gas-powered 718 models in September in the U.S. and recently pulled both mid-engine sports cars from its online configurator.

The most logical thing for Porsche to do if it still wants to sell gas-powered Caymans and Boxsters would be to upgrade the platform of the outgoing models and offer gas-powered 718 sports cars in parallel with the all-electric 718 EVs.

But after so much back-and-forth regarding the next-gen 718, predicting what Porsche will do next with its entry-level sports cars has become an expert-level guessing game. We’re just hoping the automaker won’t adopt the radical solution of killing its 718 sports cars altogether, as that would be a very sad thing for sports car enthusiasts worldwide.

This story was originally published by Autoblog on Mar 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.