Report: Porsche 911 Hybrid Coming Mid-Decade
The Porsche 911 may not have changed a ton in several decades, but a significant change is coming to its iconic rear-mounted engine. Porsche recently confirmed that it is working on a hybrid option for the 911, which will arrive mid-decade with the next-generation 992 cars.
Porsche company executives told Motortrend that the hybrid 911 is just a year or two away. That could indicate that they would arrive after the initial 992.2 introduction, and the powertrain might be withheld for the rowdiest variants, such as a Turbo S.
The move to electrify the 911 is significant, as it represents the last holdout in Porsche’s lineup to pick up the technology. Company engineers have fretted over the car’s weight and have so far found acceptable performance solutions that don’t involve adding heavy batteries to the mix. The 911 will be Porsche’s last model electrified, so the company is obsessed with getting it right.
While Porsche purists won’t be stoked about this development (they aren’t stoked about much), it will likely bring even more performance and acceleration to the 911 line. Automakers have figured out how to add electric power with a focus on power instead of the efficiency-first approach many mainstream brands take. That means the electric motors supplement the powertrain’s performance instead of acting only as a stop-gap to save fuel.
[Image: Porsche]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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They will probably make it plug-in with a short range so it can switch to fully electric when driving around city centers in Europe that have heavy fees/fines for ICEs.
I ve wanted a 911 since college. If i get one, it ll be a pure 911 with no electric bastardization.
This is a marketing issue. It's not a hybrid, it's KERS made practical for road use. Add a boost button for 5 seconds of an extra 200lbs of torque. Lean into the racing heritage instead of the economy of it.
I fear the capital invested towards electrification at this point will ultimately turn out to be a huge misallocation that could damage the company.