Porsche CEO Breaks Silence On Delayed 718 EV: ‘It Will Be A Fantastic Car’
Porsche CEO Michael Leiters broke months of silence on Tuesday, confirming in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the electric 718 is still in development and will reach production. “With the electric 718, we came to the conclusion that we will build the model because it is the best solution economically and will be a fantastic car,” he said. It’s the clearest signal yet that the car survives — but it also underscores just how far the project has drifted from its original timeline.
The 718 EV was supposed to be on sale in 2025. It isn’t. The gas-powered Cayman and Boxster it was meant to replace have already left production — Porsche ended the run in October 2025 — leaving the brand with a gap in its sports car lineup that won’t close until at least late 2027, and possibly later. For Cayman and Boxster fans who’ve been watching this story unfold since the Mission R concept debuted in 2021, the CEO’s reaffirmation is welcome news, even if a firm launch date remains nowhere in sight.
A Timeline That Has Shifted More Than Once
Porsche first signaled the 718’s electric future with the Mission R concept at the 2021 IAA Munich show — a track-focused study that pointed toward 800-volt architecture and serious performance credentials. The production 718 EV was originally targeted for a 2025 on-sale date, and spy shots of prototypes began circulating as early as 2022.
What followed was a prolonged back-and-forth about the car’s very identity. At various points, Porsche confirmed it as EV-only, then added a parallel gas-powered variant as EV demand softened, then reversed course again. Last month, Volkswagen Group — Porsche’s parent — was reported to be cutting ten vehicles in a cost-reduction push, and the gas-powered 718 replacement was among the casualties. That left the EV as the sole path forward, which is where things stand today.
Leiters, who took over as CEO at the start of 2026 from Oliver Blume, appears to have settled the internal debate. The electric 718 is the platform that won out, and the company is no longer publicly entertaining a combustion-only replacement at the entry level.
What The Technical Picture Looks Like Right Now
Official specs remain under wraps — Porsche has released no performance figures, pricing, or configuration details. What the sources confirm is limited but meaningful. The car is expected to ride on an 800-volt architecture, enabling rapid DC charging on par with the Taycan. Both single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive variants are anticipated.
Spy photos suggest the proportions will stay close to the outgoing 718, which makes sense given the platform work already completed. The clearest visual departures are updated headlight and taillight designs. Beyond that, buyers are largely working from educated inference rather than confirmed data.
One thing that does seem settled: the 718 EV will carry a higher price tag than the gas cars it replaces. It should still slot below a base 911, but the premium over the departed flat-four 718 models is expected to be meaningful. Whether that pricing lands well in a market that’s already lukewarm on electric sports cars remains an open question.
The Broader EV Headwinds Porsche Is Navigating
Leiters’ confirmation doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. Porsche’s EV push has produced mixed results commercially. Of the roughly 280,000 vehicles the brand sold globally in 2025, just 22.2% were fully electric, with another 12.1% plug-in hybrids. Taycan sales have been declining, and the Macan Electric has underperformed relative to the combustion Macan it effectively replaced. The company has already started development of a new entry-level internal-combustion SUV, expected around 2028, as a hedge.
The financial damage from over-investing in electrification is real — Porsche’s operating profit took a €1.8 billion ($2.1 billion) hit under the previous leadership. Leiters’ mandate is to restore discipline, which makes his endorsement of the 718 EV more significant than a routine product confirmation. He’s explicitly framing it as the right economic call, not just a legacy commitment.
One factor working in the car’s favor: Audi is developing its own all-electric sports car — widely expected to be a successor to the TT — on the same platform. That shared development cost makes the business case for both cars stronger. Leiters pushed back on the idea that Audi’s needs are driving Porsche’s decision, insisting each project is evaluated on its own commercial merits first, but the platform synergy is real regardless of how it’s framed.
What Enthusiasts Should Watch For Next
With a late 2027 sales target still in play, a reveal could realistically come before the end of 2026 — that’s the window sources are pointing to, though nothing is confirmed. The gas-powered 718 is gone from showrooms, so there’s no combustion stopgap to buy time. Porsche is carrying a genuine lineup gap at the moment, and every month the 718 EV stays hidden is a month without an entry-level sports car on the lot.
The closest external competition will be Alpine’s electrified A110, also due for a 2027 launch. That’s a narrow field, which gives Porsche some breathing room — but it also means the segment’s commercial viability will partly be determined by how both cars perform when they finally arrive. For anyone who’s been waiting since the Mission R concept turned heads five years ago, the CEO’s words this week are the most concrete reassurance yet. The car is coming. The wait, apparently, continues.
Source: Car & Driver
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