It’s delicate surgery for some automakers – embrace a future of electrification, but don’t mess with iconic designs millions of drivers are emotionally invested in.
Porsche has cut a clear and careful line – we’ll go carbon neutral by 2030. But don’t expect an electric 911.
Well, not entirely. Soon, there will be a hybrid version of perhaps the world’s most recognizable sports car. A “product upgrade of the 911 is planned for early summer,” the company has announced, “including a high-performance hybrid drive.”
But Porsche won’t call it a concession to emissions rules. Instead, Porsche Chairman Oliver Blume insists, it’s a performance upgrade. “Once again, we are deploying technology in series-production models that we have derived from the world of motorsport. And our customers can look forward to further technological innovations along those same lines.”
Porsche has run hybrid race cars in the Le Mans Prototype class for a decade.
Not the First to Try
Porsche has not revealed any details but it wouldn’t be the first automaker to take an iconic sports car hybrid. Chevrolet used the 2024 model year to bring hybrid tech to the Corvette Stingray and used much the same argument.
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the quickest production Corvette ever built, with a faster zero-to-60-mph time than even the Corvette Z06 track monster. It’s also the first all-wheel drive (AWD) ‘Vette. So those of you in the snow belt can justify it as a way to get to work.
Porsche could take a similar approach with its own icon, using a small electric motor to power the front wheels but keeping the all-important flat six driving the rear set.
We’d be surprised if the combination offered more power than the 1,092 horsepower available (for a few seconds) in the all-electric Taycan Turbo GT revealed earlier this week. But it would likely be much lighter, so it might outrun it.
