A 911 Hybrid in our Future? Maybe, But Not Anytime Soon

Porsche is Not Yet Ready to Cave to the Way of the Future with their Poster Child

For reasons both economical and performance based, the way of the automotive future is electric. The world has watched how hybrid applications have bettered everyday commuter cars like the Chevrolet Volt. Other plug-ins have become great options for those looking to get from point A to B with less strain on the environment and their wallets. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, hybrid power is one of the cornerstones of the world’s three most famous hypercars — one of them being a Porsche.

But tradition is sometimes slow to adapt to the times, which has always been the case with the 911. Hell, the damn things were air-cooled until the ’90s. This desire to keep the purists happy, or at least change them slowly over time, is one of the driving factors behind the reluctance to add electricity to the Porsche 911 recipe. The other reason? Packaging.

The 911 keeps a pretty consistent shape from generation to generation and Porsche engineers don’t see a reason to change that. In a recent interview with Australia’s Motoring, Porsche’s Model Line Director, Thomas Krickelberg, said that “depending on how big the battery is and the electronic system, you might have to give up the two seats in the rear and we are sure this [would make it] not a 911 anymore.”

Adding to this, Krickelberg explained that adding the weight and complexity associated with a hybrid electric system might just not be worth it in the end. There may be a time down the road when Porsche has no choice but to get with the times. But for now, and at least for the next generation of 911, hybrid power is just not in the cards.

Krickelberg’s final thoughts on the matter: “We are prepared if we have to do [hybrid] but we are not convinced that we should.”