Pour one out for the 718 because the entry-level sports cars are officially no more in the European Union. As with the gasoline Macan, Porsche is retiring the Boxster and Cayman ahead of schedule because the two cars won’t meet the new cybersecurity regulations. These rules are scheduled to come into effect in July 2024, at which point it will no longer be allowed to register the cars in EU markets.
In an e-mail to Motor1, Porsche 718 spokesperson Oliver Hilger confirmed the coupe and convertible have been discontinued in the EU. However, there are a couple of exceptions as the Cayman GT4 RS and the Boxster RS Spyder will continue since they’re small series vehicles and are exempt from this rule. The 718’s demise is limited to the EU, which means it’ll continue in other markets.
The issue stems from the electrical architecture used by the Boxster and Cayman, which can’t meet the forthcoming cybersecurity regulations. Tweaking the cars to meet the new law would cost Porsche about half the budget used for an all-new model, which isn’t financially viable.
The fourth-generation Boxster/Cayman is an old product, having gone on sale back in 2016 under the “982” internal codename. The first-gen Macan is even older considering it’s been on the market since 2014. The 718’s retirement from the EU is unlikely to put a big dent in Porsche’s bank accounts but the Macan has always been a strong seller. Globally, the crossover racked up 87,355 sales in 2023, or more than four times compared to the 718 lineup.
The next-generation 718 will be purely electric when it goes on sale in 2025. The EV’s arrival won’t spell the end of the current gas models since the two will peacefully coexist for an unspecified amount of time. Porsche has a similar strategy in place for the two generations of the Macan.
Although the 718 is no longer available to configure in EU markets, you can still buy a brand-new Boxster or Cayman by picking from whatever’s available in stock. The clock is ticking because that will no longer be possible from July 1 when unsold cars will become unregistrable.
Read the full article here