According to Car Sales, citing statements from Daniel Schmollinger, CEO of Porsche Cars Australia, the company is still developing the electric successors to the 718 model. “We can’t tell yet when it’s coming, but I had the chance to drive it, and it is actually amazing,” Schmollinger revealed. The new Porsche 718 is expected to launch initially as a battery-electric vehicle. However, it remains unclear whether pure internal combustion engine or hybrid variants will also be offered.
Porsche has been developing fully electric successors for its mid-engine sports cars, the 718 Boxster (convertible) and 718 Cayman (coupé), for years. However, the project has faced repeated setbacks and challenges, which have delayed progress—sometimes due to issues with drivetrain components, and at other times, the battery. Porsche’s engineers have long struggled to balance the desired driving dynamics of the two-seater sports cars with the brand’s high standards, battery weight, and cost considerations.
As part of its once-ambitious electrification strategy, the former executive board decided to adopt a high-risk single-sourcing approach for the battery: the high-energy-density battery cells were to be supplied by Northvolt, which would then be assembled into battery packs by the Finnish supplier Valmet at a new site in Baden-Württemberg. However, Northvolt subsequently filed for insolvency and was acquired by the US company Lyten. Battery partner Valmet also withdrew from the Kirchardt project due to delays. As a result, Porsche was left without a battery supply chain for the model—and no public Plan B has emerged to date.
Against this backdrop, there were reports in early February suggesting that the Porsche executive board, under new CEO Michael Leiters, was considering abandoning the planned electric versions of the 718 Boxster and Cayman before they even reached the market. No final decision had been made at the time, and it remains unknown whether a resolution has since been reached. However, several indications since then point to a positive outcome—including the recent statements from Australia. Additionally, the VW Group’s sister brand Audi has recently confirmed its commitment to the production version of its Concept C, which is set to utilise the technology from the Porsche 718. “The supply of the platform by Porsche is not in question,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner reportedly told employees.
