Porsche 911 Hybrid: Here Sooner!

Porsche’s Electric Future Not Yet a Priority

For quite a while, the Porsche 911 has evaded hybridization, however, executives of the company have declared that the defining sports car will be electrified in middle of this decade.

Frank Moser, Vice President for the 911 and 718 model lines, informed MotorTrend (MT) that the company is in the process of developing the facelifted 992.2, which is slated to come out within the next two years. “We are currently working on a hybrid version of the 911, which we anticipate will be released sometime in the middle of the decade. This will be the next generation of the 992,” the executive shared.

Moser was unwilling to proceed further and declined to divulge which models from the 911 range were initially going to get the hybrid treatment. The 911 hybrid has been photographed every now and then on the Nurburgring track, which has lent credence to the speculative reports that it is situated above the Turbo S in the lineup; however, that still remains to be confirmed.

In this instance, we can anticipate a yield of more than 640hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. It’s been verified that the hybrid 911 will not incorporate a plug-in electrically powered configuration, as the manufacturer aims to electrify its entirety of vehicles. Understandably, classicists may be displeased by this choice; however, they can take comfort in the fact that there are presently no immediate prospects for an entirely electric 911.

“We have a daring strategy for electric cars, and we are [taking] daring steps, huge steps with electrification,” declared Frank-Steffen Walliser, a company official, last year. “But we also must look at the market and customer needs, and there is still strong demand for gasoline-powered sports cars.”

Porsche has suggested that an electric-powered 911 won’t be available for at least ten years, due to the fact that the existing tech does not enable them to generate a dependable battery-operated 911. At present, the greatest hindrances are the load of the battery and how much room is on the platform.

Porsche has made it clear to MT that the 911 will be, if at all, the last model they will electrify. Michael Steiner, Porsche board member for development, stated that “the 911 should not get too heavy. So this is the reason we look more for performance-oriented solutions, and we have other cars for people who would like more electrification. We don’t see the need to just convert our icon into an electric car that has disadvantages.”

The same cannot be uttered regarding the 718 Boxster/Cayman lines. An all-electric variant is set to emerge and make its debut. This newest model will be made available concurrently with the already available ICE-driven styles, providing those not wanting to switch into an electric sports car, an option.

“Sound is certainly a major factor when it comes to driving a Porsche,” says Moser. He adds that Porsche is currently in the process of creating a signature sound for its electric models. “We are striving to create a sound that is distinctive to the brand and specific to each model. But for me, sound is not the most important aspect.”