The Porsche 718 is now dead in Europe after it failed to meet the European Union’s so-called “cybersecurity” regulations. The Cayman and Boxster be joining the gasoline-powered Macan SUV in the afterlife, which encountered its own regional demise for similar reasons. While all models will reportedly return as electric vehicles, we know things will never be the same.
News came by way of Motor1 after the German press had already spent a few days discussing the matter. Spokesperson Oliver Hilger confirmed that the 718 was done and dusted in Europe. However, the Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster Spyder RS will remain available on the market due to the fact that they won’t be produced in significant quantities to be targeted by the applicable regulations. Normal people will still be subjected to the EU’s cyber security protocols. But rich people, who can afford $150,000 (to start) specialty models, are apparently fine to take the alleged risk.
As with the Macan, the 718 doesn’t support the now-mandatory array of “Advanced Driver Assistance Systems” that literally every single driver I’ve ever spoken to dislikes. The European Union tends to frame the WP.29 UNECE World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations as encouraging safety or as an anti-hacking measure. However, there’s actually not any good data that these advanced driver assistance systems offer any net safety benefit to motorists. In fact, most studies seem to suggest they make drivers complacent behind the wheel and often don’t function as advertised. Meanwhile, a vehicle that’s not connected to a modem would be impossible to hack remotely. But EU regulations effectively require all new vehicles to be connected to the internet.
I’ll not beat a dead horse. But you and I both know the brunt of this technology is used for the purposes of data collection, and typically at the expense of the person who bought the vehicle.
At any rate, the regulations have taken what is arguably Porsche’s best drivers’ car that isn’t the 911. UN Regulation No. 155, which is slated to go into effect this summer, requires the cars to undergo substantial changes and Porsche just doesn’t think it’s worth spending the money when it can just keep selling them on other markets (including ours) until they can be supplanted with EVs.
From Motor1:
The fourth-generation Boxster/Cayman is an old product relatively, debuting 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 sales, 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.
It sure seems like enthusiasts that grew up without a trust fund have been taking it on the chin in the name of progress lately. Engine sizes are shrinking, exciting models are vanishing, and automotive prices have been undeniably high for years. Meanwhile, commuters across the globe continue to complain about the modern tech in their vehicles and features that the European government has now mandated to a point that it’s actively killing select models. Remember when a lack of side-curtain airbags spelled the end for the Dodge Viper? Those seem like such simple regulatory times in hindsight.
[Image: Porsche]
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