Overview
- New CEO Michael Leiters is considering canceling the battery-powered 718 models, according to Bloomberg, and Porsche has declined to comment while no final decision has been made.
- Porsche initially pledged an all-electric next-generation 718 for a 2025 debut, later signaling a shift to reintroduce internal-combustion variants alongside the EVs after winding down the outgoing petrol 718 in 2025.
- Reports tie the reassessment to development setbacks, including disputed extra work with battery-pack supplier Valmet and the 2025 bankruptcy of cell supplier Northvolt, which impacted sourcing plans.
- Engineering sources note the PPE Sport architecture’s load‑bearing battery complicates any pivot to combustion or hybrid power, likely requiring major structural redesigns such as a new floor section, rear bulkhead and subframe.
- Financial pressure from higher costs and weaker demand, including a 26% sales drop in China in 2025, has driven broader EV pullbacks at Porsche, with media also reporting internal discussion of a plug‑in hybrid 718 that would need different underpinnings.