The next generation of Porsche’s mid-engine sports cars will be an electric Boxster and Cayman, with no gas version. The company’s new strategy lists the 718 pair as all-electric, and Porsche expects 2028 to be their first full year of production. Meanwhile, a company spokesman has said a gas-powered version was never approved.

That settles a question enthusiasts have argued about for years. Porsche had once talked about keeping combustion engines in the next 718. Now, however, the plan on paper has none.

Here is what Porsche said, who said it and what it means for the mid-engine cars that turned Porsche’s fortunes around in the 1990s.

What Porsche announced about the electric Boxster and Cayman

Specifically, the news came at Porsche’s Capital Markets Day at its Weissach Development Centre. The Porsche Newsroom summary dated October 7, 2026 lays out a strategy called Sportwagenschmiede ’35. Under it, the product push “will start with the all-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman models.” Porsche expects those cars to support sales in their first full year of production, 2028.

The release doesn’t mention a combustion 718 at all. However, it does say a new B-segment SUV with combustion and plug-in hybrid power will be presented in 2028. That SUV will sit alongside the current all-electric Macan, the company says.

A gas 718 was never approved, Porsche says

The clearest answer came from Porsche’s head of corporate communications, Matthias Rauter. According to AutoGuide, he told Motor1 that combustion versions of the 718 had never been approved. That was the gist of AutoGuide’s October 7 report. Supercar Blondie’s October 13 story carries the same account, reporting that gas versions “had never been approved to begin with.”

That wording matters, because Porsche isn’t saying it canceled an approved gas car. Instead, it says the board never signed off on one in the first place.

Even so, the idea had been public. According to Torque Café’s October 9 report, Porsche said in 2025 that the next 718s would include “top ICE derivatives.” AutoGuide adds that former CEO Oliver Blume showed a slide with combustion 718s on an investor call in September 2025.

What the CEO said

Porsche’s current chief executive, Michael Leiters, has backed the electric plan in interviews. “We’ll stick with the electric car,” he told Automotive News, according to autoevolution’s October 8 report.

In August, Leiters gave his reasoning to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Torque Café reports. “Does it make economic sense or not?” he said of every project. He also said Porsche chose the electric 718 because it is the economically best solution, and he called it a “fantastic car.”

Above all, the wider message at Weissach was about money. “At the moment, the main focus is on reducing costs and making the company more financially robust,” Leiters said in Porsche’s own summary.

What we know about the electric 718

So far, Porsche hasn’t published full specifications. Still, a few details have come out through interviews and ride-alongs.

First, autoevolution reports that production of the 718 Cayman Electric and 718 Boxster Electric starts in 2027. That fits Porsche’s own line about 2028 being the first full year. The car also uses an 800-volt electrical system, the outlet says.

Second, the mid-engine balance carries over in a new form. Robert Meier, Porsche’s vice president of vehicle architecture, told autoevolution that 55.2 percent of the car’s weight sits over the rear axle. By comparison, the 2025 combustion 718 carried about 59 percent at the rear.

Third, the battery takes the engine’s old spot. AutoGuide, citing Car and Driver’s ride-along, says the pack sits behind the seats rather than under the floor.

Why the Boxster mattered so much

Before now, the Boxster had already carried a lot of weight for Porsche. The concept car debuted at the 1993 Detroit show, and the production 986 Boxster arrived in 1996, according to a 2021 Porsche Newsroom history.

At the time, Porsche was in serious financial trouble, with falling sales and high production costs. As a result, Porsche calls the Boxster “a turning point in the company’s fortunes.” It priced the two-seater below the 911, which brought in younger buyers. In addition, the 986 shared its front end and doors with the 996 911 to cut costs.

Thirty years later, economics are again behind the decision, by Leiters’s account. This time, though, the answer is a battery behind the seats instead of an engine.

The 911 and a car above it

At the same time, the plan leaves room for combustion elsewhere in the lineup. Leiters told Top Gear that “the 911 will never be electric,” Supercar Blondie reports. Similarly, Porsche’s own summary promises “highly emotive 911 derivatives.”

Porsche is also developing a mid-engined super sports car platform for a model line above the 911. The company set a preview for October 15. For the 718, though, the record now reads one way: all-electric, with 2028 as its first full year of production.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.