Porsche discontinues two iconic models and replaces them both with EVs
The announcement marks a significant shift in the brand's strategy as it leans further into electric mobility.
4
4
The news was first revealed in Germany by Porsche production boss Albrecht Reimold in Automobilwoche and later confirmed by the company to Car and Driver.
Production of the mid-engine 718 twins will end in October 2025 at Porsche's facilities in Zuffenhausen and Osnabrück.
The move follows the earlier discontinuation of the models in Europe due to new cybersecurity laws.
According to Porsche, the decision isn't about poor sales. In fact, 2024 saw a 15 percent increase in deliveries, with 23,670 units sold.
However, limited parts availability and the push for electrification have forced Porsche's hand.
'We are now focused on the next chapter,' said a spokesperson.
Special editions like the Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster RS Spyder will also bow out, despite previous exemptions from EU regulations.
Replacing these fan favourites will be fully electric versions of both the Cayman and Boxster.
While details remain scarce, Reimold assured enthusiasts that the electric successors will maintain the fun-to-drive character.
'I've driven it,' he said.
'The driving experience will still be 100 percent 718.' Porsche CEO Oliver Blume added during the brand's recent annual meeting that the new EVs will be 'even more dynamic, even more powerful.'
However, fans will have to wait a bit longer for the new generation.
The EV 718s won't launch until the 'medium term', with development still ongoing.
In the meantime, Porsche is urging customers to snap up the remaining petrol-powered models while they still can.
'This may well be your last chance,' warned Car and Driver, which was among the first to report the change for global markets.
The shift has been in motion since the start of 2024, when the 718 was pulled from European markets in response to stricter cybersecurity legislation.
The regulations effectively ended sales of the internal-combustion Boxster and Cayman, along with the petrol-powered Macan, across the EU.
The U.S. and other regions were granted a temporary reprieve, but that window will now close in October.
While the 718's days are numbered, Porsche's broader EV strategy is still in flux.
CEO Oliver Blume admitted during this week's shareholder meeting that the company's previous target—having electric cars make up 80 percent of sales by 2030—is now unlikely to be met.
Despite this, Porsche says the electric lineup 'will continue to grow as planned,' including a large three-row SUV still in development.
Interestingly, Porsche is also keeping its options open when it comes to future powertrains.
The company has hinted it may reintroduce combustion engines or hybrids into models originally intended to be electric-only.
Last November, then-CFO Lutz Meschke said Porsche was 'looking at the possibility' of combining hybrid or petrol power with upcoming EVs—a sign the brand isn't closing the door on internal combustion just yet.
As Porsche moves into this new chapter, the retirement of the 718 range is more than just the end of two cars,it's the end of an era.
Since their debut, the Boxster and Cayman have become icons in their own right, offering affordable performance and precise handling.
Whether the electric versions can match that legacy remains to be seen.
The Sun has approached Porsche for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Express
3 hours ago
- Auto Express
Unsafe cars explode... in numbers: dangerous UK vehicles up 50% in a year
UK roads may be secretly inundated with unsafe cars given that the number of people charged with driving unroadworthy vehicles has exploded by over 50 per cent in the last year, and experts are warning that the data is 'just the tip of the iceberg'. A Freedom of Information request conducted by the RAC found that in 2024, 13,109 penalty point endorsements were issued to motorists for driving vehicles that were deemed unsafe for the road. This represents a marked increase from 2023, in which just 8,614 such endorsements were incurred. However, the RAC says these statistics don't even scratch the surface of the number of unroadworthy vehicles potentially out there. The motoring association is keen to point out that with over 10 million vehicles failing their MOT tests annually, the number of unsafe vehicles driving around is likely to be substantially higher than the figure the police are able to identify and catch themselves. Advertisement - Article continues below Mobile servicing and repairs team leader at the RAC, Nick Mullender, said: 'The steep increase in drivers receiving points on their licences for unroadworthy vehicles is a cause for alarm because it could indicate more drivers are running the gauntlet and driving unsafe vehicles – although it's also possible more drivers are being caught by the police.' As you might expect, Greater London saw the highest number of penalty point endorsements for unroadworthy vehicles in 2024, with 1,765 drivers pulled over. The East Midlands is the region that saw the biggest leap in the number of unroadworthy vehicles being stopped, with 700 endorsements representing an 80 per cent rise. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The majority of Wales, bar the South East, saw the number of endorsements stay the same or even decrease. Yet despite this, figures across the UK rose by 52 per cent on average year-on-year in 2024. Marc Clothier, the chief superintendent at the National Roads Policing Operation for Intelligence and Investigations, called the figures 'shocking', saying: 'if you are driving an unroadworthy vehicle with defects such as tyres or brakes, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but you are putting the lives of other road users at risk too. 'Ensuring your vehicle is roadworthy and safe to drive is your responsibility,' Clothier continued, 'and we would encourage everyone to routinely check their vehicle before getting behind the wheel.' What makes a car unroadworthy can be anything from insufficient tyre tread depth – 8,945 people had their licences endorsed in 2024 for having defective tyres, making it the most common reason for a car to be deemed unroadworthy – to blown headlight bulbs and defective brakes. Being found with any of these issues could land drivers three penalty points on their licence, plus a fine of up to £2,500 if the vehicle has previously failed its MOT. With this in mind, Mullender urged drivers to 'keep on top of routine maintenance and get any issues checked by a well qualified mobile mechanic or reputable garage'. If you're worried about the safety of your car, it might be time to get a new one and we can help. Tell us which new car you're interested in and get the very best offers from our network of over 5,500 UK dealers to compare. Let's go… Find a car with the experts Fire risk prompts 72,000-car Stellantis UK recall Fire risk prompts 72,000-car Stellantis UK recall 28 models across Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lanica, Peugeot and Vauxhall are impacted by the recall New electric Ford pick-up to cost an astonishing £22k New electric Ford pick-up to cost an astonishing £22k Looking for its new Model T moment, Ford USA announces new affordable EV platform, starting with new pick-up truck Lucky 13 more cars confirmed for Electric Car Grant… but there's a catch Lucky 13 more cars confirmed for Electric Car Grant… but there's a catch The Renault 5 is one of a number of cars to qualify for the Government's new Electric Car Grant, however none of them get the higher £3,750 amount
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Rare earths: Australia bid to take on China dominance
Drive three hours north of Perth, and you'll arrive in Eneabba. This is Western Australia mining territory - the landscape is barren and desolate, just the odd hill in the distance. Buried in this vast terrain is a massive pit, full of what looks like mounds of worthless dirt. But appearances can be deceiving: in fact, this pit is home to a million tonne stockpile containing critical minerals, and Australia's bet on the this year, carmakers and other manufacturers around the world rushed to their war rooms, alarmed that China's tight export controls on rare earth magnets – crucial for making electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence equipment – could cripple was forced to halt production of its popular Explorer SUV for a week at one of its Chicago plants - a bold move for a major automaker already grappling with pressure from Trump's tariffs.A month later, CEO Jim Farley revealed the pause was triggered by a shortage of rare earths, admitting the company was still struggling to secure reliable supply of the critical minerals."It's day to day," Mr Farley told Bloomberg has since agreed to let rare earths minerals and magnets flow to the United States, which eased the without a trade deal between the US and China, the fear is that the rare earths bottleneck could return, creating a massive supply chain triggered a realisation amongst policymakers and manufacturers everywhere: Beijing's control of rare earths has the world in a chokehold."The West dropped the ball – that's the reality. And China was in for the long run – it saw the benefit and was willing to invest in it," says Jacques Eksteen, chair for extractive metallurgy at Curtin University. Why rare earths matter The phrase "rare earths" - referring to 17 elements on the periodic table which are lightweight, super strong and resistant to heat, making them useful in small electric motors - is something of a misnomer."Rare earths are not rare or scarce. Gold is scarce, but it's not a critical material," Professor Eksteen earths are critical, however. Take the average electric vehicle – there might be rare earths-based motors in dozens of components from side mirrors and speakers to windshield wipers and breaking problem is therefore not amount, but the fact "somewhere in the supply chain you've got one or maybe a few countries controlling that bottleneck", Professor Eksteen the 90s, Europe and France in particular had a prominent rare earths industry. Today, almost all these minerals come from China, which has spent decades mining and refining at now accounts for more than half of global rare earth mining, and almost 90% of processing. The US sources 80% of its rare earth imports from China, while the European Union relies on China for about 98% of its supply."China has since very deliberately and overtly sought to control the market for the purposes of supporting their downstream manufacturing and defence industries," says Dan McGrath, head of rare earths for Iluka Resources, in between driving us around the company's vast Eneabba site. But Mr McGrath, and Iluka, are hoping to make a dent in that control - even if it wasn't necessarily in the company's original plan. For decades, Iluka has been mining zircon in Australia - a key ingredient in ceramics, and titanium dioxide used in the pigmentation of paint, plastics and just so happens the byproducts of these mineral sands include dysprosium and terbium - some of the most sought-after rare the years, Iluka has built up the stockpile, and is now worth more than $650m (£440m).This was the easy part, however. The processing or refining is another matter altogether."They're chemically very similar so to try and separate them requires a huge number of stages," Professor Eksteen explained."Also, you've got residues and wastes that you have to deal with out of this industry, and that's problematic. They often produce radioactive materials. It comes at a cost."And that is one of the reasons why the Australian government is loaning Iluka A$1.65bn ($1bn; £798m) to build a refinery to meet demand for rare earths which Iluka sees growing by 50-170% by the end of the decade."We expect to be able to supply a significant proportion of Western demand for rare earths by 2030. Our customers recognise that having an independent, secure and sustainable supply chain outside of China is fundamental for the continuity of their business," says Mr McGrath."This refinery and Iluka's commitment to the rare earth business is an alternative to China." But the refinery will take another two years to build and come online."Without the strategic partnership we have with the Australian government, a rare earths project would not be economically viable," Mr McGrath says. A strategic necessity China's recent willingness to turn supply of rare earths on and off has spurred trading partners to diversify their suppliers. Iluka says because automakers for example plan their production years in advance, it is already fielding requests for when its refinery does come earths are critical to the green transition, electric vehicles, and defence technologies – making their control a pressing national priority."The open international market in critical minerals and rare earths is a mirage. It doesn't exist. And the reason it doesn't exist is because there is one supplier of these materials and they have the wherewithal to change where the market goes, whether that be in pricing or supply," Australia's resources minister Madeleine King sees government intervention as necessary to provide an alternative supply, and help the world rely less on China."We can either sit back and do nothing about that... or we can step up to take on the responsibility to develop a rare earths industry here that competes with that market," Ms King there is something that Australia will have to contend with as it invests and works to expand a rare earths industry – pollution. In China, environmental damage from years of processing rare earths has led to chemicals and radioactive waste seeping into waterways - cities and people bearing the scars of decades of poor rare earths, it's not so much about the mining footprint, rather the processing that is a dirty business – because it involves extraction, leaching, thermal cracking and refining which produce radioactive components."I think there is no metal industry that is completely clean... unfortunately, it's a matter of picking your poison sometimes," Professor Eksteen says."In Australia, we've got mechanisms to handle that. We've got a legal environment and a framework to work with that to at least deal with it responsibly."The EU has in the past accused China of using a "quasi monopoly" on rare earths as a bargaining chip, weaponising it to undermine competitors in key industries. The bloc - which is home to hundreds of auto manufacturers that so desperately need rare earths - said even if China has loosened restrictions on supplies, the threat of supply chain shocks if building a brand new industry will take time, Australia seems to have a lot going for it in the rare earths race, as it tries to be a more reliable and cleaner one that - crucially - is independent of reporting by Jaltson Akkanath Chummar
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Mould, vermin and ceiling leaks: German police say they work in ‘embarrassing' conditions
Germany's biggest police union has complained about the dilapidated state of hundreds of police stations across the country and a fleet of aged vehicles, saying conditions are a threat to officers' health and an insult to their dignity. 'Decades-old toilet bowls, mould in the offices, vermin, broken heating units and holes in the ceiling that let the rain in,' said Hagen Husgen of the GdP union, citing just a few of the complaints his organisation had received from members. 'Some of the conditions our people have to endure there are hazardous to their health,' he told the regional daily Münchner Merkur. Husgen said police cruisers in Europe's top economy, which prides itself on its automotive prowess, were often so old and beat-up that they were 'shameful' and 'embarrassing' to officers on their patrols. 'Vehicles with torn seats and half a million kilometres [on the odometer], broken gear sticks. When citizens see this, it does not reflect well on the police,' he said, blaming the problem in part on privatisation of police car maintenance. 'It's a job that's fun when the conditions are right. But when you take a closer look at the circumstances, sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in despair.' Husgen said the dismal conditions in many police stations were compounding 'big problems' recruiting young officers. The trade union supplied Merkur with a series of photos showing what it said were ramshackle police buildings with gaping holes in the ceiling and a mouse under a desk as well as cars with foam spilling out of the seats. The GdP said Germany's 16 federal states needed more support from Berlin to improve conditions for police officers and enable them to carry out their duties. The German parliament in March approved plans spearheaded by the then chancellor elect, Friedrich Merz, to relax the country's strict debt brake, allowing an increase in defence spending and creating a €500bn 'special fund' or Sondervermögen for the next decade dedicated to infrastructure overhauls, including increased financing for the federal police. The GdP has said this spending will be 'far from sufficient' to address the dramatic shortfalls at the state level and indicated a separate Sondervermögen would be required for domestic security. 'In Germany, we in the police forces have an investment backlog in the double-digit billion (euro) range for our property alone,' Husgen said. Asked about the GdP's complaints, a spokesperson for the federal interior ministry said police matters including police stations and the vehicle fleet 'are constitutionally within the jurisdiction of the regional states'. The ministry said the federal government assisted regional police forces in a range of areas including through special programmes for equipment, digital communications and IT infrastructure. The federal government, whose term is due to run until 2029, has also promised to increase financing for special police forces as part of plans to strengthen the domestic security authorities, the spokesperson added. The GdP, founded in 1950, calls itself the 'world's largest police trade union', with more than 200,000 members across Germany.
