Porsche’s iconic sports car — the reason Porsche became Porsche in the first place— is the 911. And it’s about to undergo perhaps the biggest change in its nearly six-decade lineage. The current 992 generation 911 is heading for a model refresh in calendar year 2024 or 2025, but ahead of that, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed to CAR magazine there will be a “very sporty hybridization to the 911.”
Here’s what we know about the hybrid Porsche 911 so far.
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When will the hybrid Porsche 911 debut?
Porsche
Expect Porsche to debut the hybrid 911 in 2025. During September 2023's Rennsport Reunion 7, Porsche vice president Frank Moser told Motor Trend that the hybrid 911 will arrive "in the middle of the decade" with the refreshed 992.2 generation. He gave a specific timeline of "maybe two years," which would have the car debuting around the late 2025 calendar year.
That timeline suggests that gas models of the 992 generation will start rolling out before the hybrid model (or models) debut.
When will the hybrid Porsche 911 debut?
Porsche
Porsche has not made any announcements yet. We expect the 911 to be refreshed for the 2024 model year. Porsche typically staggers the release of their cars with higher-end trims coming later. Autocar expects the GT2 RS to hit dealers in 2026. But we could see a hybrid 911 Turbo S before then.
Porsche has been testing hybrid versions of the 911
Porsche has been fairly openly testing hybrid 911 prototypes at the Nürburgring. How do we know? In Europe, hybrid prototype cars carry yellow stickers on the front and rear windshields to indicate the engine type for emergency crews.
Don't expect the 911 Hybrid to be a radical departure
Porsche
Weight considerations and packaging issues limit what Porsche can do with a hybrid within the current 911's framework. And Blume said the hybrid 911 will not be a plug-in hybrid like the Cayenne or Panamera.
According to Autocar, the hybrid setup will be a small gearbox-mounted electric motor with a battery pack in the back to maintain the 911's traditional rear-biased weight distribution. Porsche will try to shave pounds elsewhere to keep the added weight to a minimum.
Like the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, the hybrid will be more about performance than providing substantial EV range. Unlike that Mercedes, Porsche should keep the flat-six rather than downsizing to a four pot.
What will be the first 911 trim to go hybrid?
Barry Hayden
Porsche has not made any announcement yet. But according to Autocar, the next 911 GT2 RS will be a hybrid. It should pack more than 700 horsepower, start around $300,000 and be the fastest accelerating road-legal 911 we’ve seen.
Not for now. "The 911 will be, definitely, if at all, the last [Porsche] that will be electrified," Porsche board member for development Michael Steiner told Motor Trend in September. Porsche has ruled out an electric 911 until at least 2030 in other discussions. And the brand left a 911-sized allowance in its lineup for combustion vehicles beyond that, only promising to be 80% electric by 2030.
