Porsche Says 718 EV Will Arrive In 2028 — Combustion Power Is Dead

Porsche's on-again-off-again situationship with the gas-powered 718 Boxster and Cayman is officially over.

The automaker is no longer interested in an emotional, high-revving flat-six mid-engine sports car, and it's time for the rest of us to let go too. Despite a flurry of rumors over the last 18 months suggesting Zuffenhausen was seriously interested in keeping combustion power alive in its entry-level sports cars, the automaker has officially closed the book during today’s 2026 Capital Markets Day presentation.

Porsche laid out its updated Sportwagenschmiede ’35 corporate roadmap, and the upcoming 718 generation is listed strictly as a battery-electric lineup.

In a statement to Motor1, Porsche’s Head of Corporate Communications, Matthias Rauter, claimed Porsche never actually confirmed the internal combustion engine (ICE) version was ever a sure thing — except former Porsche CEO Oliver Blume actually did on an investor call last September, including a presentation slide. Porsche says despite that, it was never greenlit by the board.

Porsche says 2028 will be the first full production year for the electric Boxster and Cayman. Obviously, that means the new EV will need to be revealed in the next year, finally ending a soap opera that has been going on since 2022.

The Boxster and Cayman built their reputations on balance, agility, and feedback — I always liked driving them more than 911s if I'm being completely honest. Everyone is of the mind that replacing the engine with a heavy battery pack and motors will completely alter the physical dynamics of a sports car.

But the automaker let Car and Driver go for a ride in the prototype, and the outlet reports that the battery is actually behind the seats — the same place as the 718's engine — instead of under the floor. It doesn't do much for physical feedback, but it does give the car a low seating position and similar dynamics to the old mid-engined sports car. Porsche is calling this setup the "E-Core architecture," and it will use an 800-volt architecture for rapid recharges.

The 718 EV will also get Porsche's E-Shift mode that first debuted in the Taycan.

As a consequence of the 718 EV decision, Audi’s upcoming Concept C will also be strictly electric when it officially launches next year.

Still, though, it's not all bad news for pistonheads — Porsche says it will continue to heavily invest in internal combustion engines and plug-in hybrid technology alongside EV development. A new gas and plug-in hybrid Macan SUV is planned to join the lineup in 2028, and the 911 is firmly insulated from an electric transition.

To top it all off, Porsche also confirmed that a new Mission S concept will debut on October 15, a preview of its high-tech hypercar designed to sit above the 911. That's the one rumored to be powered by a twin-turbo flat-eight; we'll know more in about a week.

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