Porsche Will Stop Selling Boxster, Cayman in Europe Due to Anti-Hacking Law
The same EU regulation that doomed the ICE Macan has come for Porsche’s two-door sports cars.
Several months after Porsche announced that its Macan compact SUV would be discontinued in Europe due to cybersecurity laws there, the German automaker has confirmed that the very same regulation will essentially kill the existing 718 pair—Boxster and Cayman. That's right: Porsche's most accessible gas-powered sports cars are bidding farewell two years before their electric replacements debut.
Porsche's spokesperson for the 718 line, Oliver Hilger, recently relayed the news to Motor1 after the German press first reported it last week. Notably, this decision won't entirely spell the end for the mid-engined sports cars, as the Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster Spyder RS will be able to skirt the rule given their limited production volume. Still, the very fact these icons of Porsche's modern era will largely be unavailable for sale in the manufacturer's home market is as hard to believe as it is depressing.
Like the situation that faced the Macan, the 718's cancellation is directly attributable to UN Regulation No. 155 (UN R155), which will take effect on July 1. UN R155 doesn't merely require automakers to embed certain cybersecurity protections inside the car; it requires them to completely change the way they develop vehicles—as they can't seek type approval without mitigating cybersecurity risks at multiple points along the development process—and show their work if faced with an audit.
Porsche would essentially have to redevelop the two door's electrical architecture to meet compliance. The effort would be as costly as it would be time consuming, considering the current Macan and 718 hit the market in 2014 and 2016, respectively, and both nameplates will be Stuttgart's next to go all-in on battery-electric powertrains.
In other words, this is a systemic problem, not merely a product one. "With this regulation, the industry often pays more attention to the in-vehicle implications," David Mor-Ofek of software provider C2A Security wrote in a blog following news of the Macan's discontinuation. "But the organizational effort is much broader and expensive. Especially in an industry governed by a complex supply chain, with [more than] 100 suppliers, establishing proper processes and protocols to manage risk throughout the vehicle lifecycle can prove too much for some [manufacturers]."
Meanwhile, buyers on these shores will be relieved to know that the regulations killing off some of Porsche's final models with internal combustion engines aren't a factor here. In fact, Porsche North America was planning to retire the current Macan next year or in 2026, around the time of the EV successor's global arrival. However, the company may have adjusted that timeline for us, according to Automotive News, to sell Macans of both powertrains concurrently since EV sales aren't exactly sterling at the moment. Maybe Porsche's entry-level sports cars will also receive a similar stay of execution, but regardless—if you want one, it seems like you've got just a few years to make your move.
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