Rumors of an electrified 911 have been swirling around the Internet for years, but it’s still not going to be available for a number of years. Even though Porsche has a generous array of plug-in hybrids and EVs like the Taycan / Taycan Cross Turismo, the company’s core sports car won’t get the same treatment anytime soon.
The disclosure was made by Porsche’s head honcho Oliver Blume in a recent interview with Autoblog. He admitted the engineers are working on a 911 hybrid that could be launched on a production model “maybe for the next model range.” What that means is even if approved, the electrified sports car won’t arrive until the next-generation 911 expected towards the middle of the decade.
When that happens, expect the hybrid powertrain to prioritize performance over efficiency as Blume said it would be a “very sporty system like in the 919,” a three-time-in-a-row winner of the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
It will take a long time before Porsche will completely abandon the internal combustion engine as the iconic 911 won’t get a purely electric vehicle this decade. Blume said that for now, “the concept of the 911 doesn’t allow a fully electric car, because we have the engine in the rear, and to put the weight of the battery in the rear, you wouldn’t be able to drive that car.”
Due to these technical constraints, the company’s boss made it clear there will not be a 911 electric this decade. He didn’t rule out the possibility of an EV version at a later stage, saying “it’s too early to tell what will happen in the 2030s.”
Meanwhile, Porsche recently bolstered its EV portfolio with the addition of a Taycan Cross Turismo that should be followed soon by a low-slung Sport Turismo. The next-generation Macan has already been confirmed for a 2022 launch and will be among the first models to ride on the VW Group’s new PPE platform shared with the upcoming Audi Q6 E-Tron.
There’s a bigger chance the smaller 718 Boxster and Cayman will be fully electrified before the 911, but nothing is official at this point.
Source: Autoblog
