Porsche is serious about electrification – just look at the Porsche Taycan. That is why we weren’t surprised when Porsche said that there will be a hybrid 911. But nothing prepared us for what Porsche’s CEO Oliver Blume just said.
In an interview with Top Gear for the future of the 718, Blume (perhaps accidentally) let out on a bombshell – the hybrid version of the 992 generation Porsche 911 will be the most powerful 911 of all.
“We have said the next 911 will add a hybrid version. That will be the highest-performance 911 of all,” Blume said. “So it won’t have the extra weight of batteries, it will be a non-plug-in hybrid. We have the experience to do that – look at the racing 919.”
That’s a lot to take in, so let’s break it down a little. We already know Porsche’s formula for hybridisation, by putting an electric motor in between the flat-six engine and the PDK gearbox – as seen on the Cayenne and Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The Hybrid 911 will most likely follow that too formula too, without the weight penalty of the battery pack. But that will also mean there won’t be much electric-only range, and it might be hard to make the 136 hp that the Panamera’s electric motor makes.
The Hybrid variant of the 911 will also most likely derive its engine from the upcoming 911 Turbo S, which reportedly already makes 650 hp from a 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six, according to Car and Driver.
Currently, the most balls-to-the-wall Porsche 911 you can drive (on the road) is the GT2 RS, which produces 700 hp and 750 Nm of torque from its 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine.
Surpassing that will be a tall order for the hybrid variant to achieve, but with a newer and more powerful engine, paired with the power generated by the electric motor, we won’t be surprised if we see the hybrid Porsche 911 with north of 800 hp.
Now there’s only one question – will this be the new GT2 RS, or will it be a separate model? We are pretty sure Porschephiles will definitely oppose the former suggestion..
In the same interview, Blume has also said that the next Porsche 718 might become full-electric. Blume said that “We have to decide in the next 12 months, because of the lifecycle of the 718,” and that means we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
