Porsche Kills 911 Plug-In Hybrid Before It's Even Born

Sam McEachern
by Sam McEachern

Porsche was set to roll out a plug-in hybrid version of the next-generation 911, however the German automaker has now decided not to move forward with the project.

Development lead for the 911 and 718, August Achleitner, told Car And Driver in a recent interview the plug-in hybrid 911 would have introduced too many compromises. While the electrified sportscar would have been extremely efficient, the hybrid powertrain would have made it several hundred pounds heavier than a standard 911, robbing it of some athleticism.

Also inspiring Porsche’s decision to shelve the vehicle was cost.

The hybrid 911 would have had much smaller profit margins than a typical 911, and Porsche — which boasts some of the best profit margins in the entire automotive industry — just wouldn’t allow it. In Achleitner’s words, “the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.”

This isn’t a huge loss, in our opinion, as a hybrid 911 makes little sense amid the backdrop of Porsche’s current product portfolio.

The Cayenne and Panamera are both offered with gasoline-electric powertrains and make much more sense as hybrids than the two-door 911. Porsche also has plans to put the electric Mission-E concept into production by 2020, so it’s wise for the automaker to keep the beloved 911 true to itself as it looks to introduce other electrified models going forward.

Sam McEachern
Sam McEachern

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  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on May 12, 2017

    Good move.

  • Shaker Shaker on May 12, 2017

    Good idea to shelve it - EV's and hybrids don't need any more h8erade.

  • Mcs Mcs on May 12, 2017

    I'm glad they're not going to compromise the 911. Fortunately, they've stayed away from anything that would compromise the 911 like putting the engine in the tail and putting a backseat in it. You'll never see anything other than a manual transmission in it either. No heavy luxury options like power seats. Yep, no compromises.

  • Geekcarlover Geekcarlover on May 13, 2017

    Who is the customer that was going to buy a 911, but reconsidered because it wasn't fuel efficient enough? Two things that should never go together, 911 and hybrid.

    • Brandloyalty Brandloyalty on May 14, 2017

      Which would win a race between two 911s that are the same except one is a hybrid?

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