Daily Slideshow: The Hybrid 911 is a GO!
The 911 plug-in hybrid is coming, and it's going to be fast. Check out what might be going on with the gas / electric sportscar right here.
1. The Power of Electricity
Porsche's iconic 911 has evolved tremendously over the years, from its raw, air-cooled roots to the current world-beating technological marvels. But one future development Porsche fans have collectively dreaded is the inevitability of a hybrid-powered version of one of the world's most legendary performance vehicles. And sure enough, Porsche exec Oliver Blume finally confirmed the car's existence to Australia's Motoring at the L.A. Auto Show. But don't expect this electrified 911 to be some sort of world-saving, gas-sipping ecomobile.
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2. King of the (Performance) Hill
You didn't really expect the hybrid 911 to be some sort of hypermiler, now did you? Instead, the introduction of electric power will only help the coming 992 version of the 911 become an even more formidable performer. Much like the Panamera S E-Hybrid has become the performance leader in its lineup, Blume also expects the 911 Hybrid to land somewhere near the top of the hill.
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3. Waiting for the Future
But don't expect this exciting, high-performance, electrified 911 to debut with the 992 in 2018. “Next year we will come with a new 911 and our platform permits to introduce plug-in hybrid,” Blume told Motoring. “But in the first step we won’t do it, we will do it a bit later."
Why not roll out the 911 Hybrid with the rest of the lineup? Well, it mostly boils down to the speed of technology. “We wait for the next battery generation to do it very sporty when we do it. We haven’t decided yet which year it will come after the presentation next year and if it is 2020 or 2021 we haven’t yet decided. It depends on the evolution of the batteries.”
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming Hybrid 911 right here in the Rennlist Forum!
4. Fast...But How Fast?
The 911 Hybrid might reside near the top of the 911 performance hill, but, but unlike the Panamera S E-Hybrid, it won't be at the top. Blume made sure to clarify that the car wouldn't be faster than the GT2 RS, but they haven't determined exactly where it will land in terms of performance. Only that it would be a performance model.
“Different cars,” he said of the 911 Hybrid and GT2 RS. “Our strategy for the future is to continue with combustion engines, plug-in hybrids and e-mobility and combine it, and especially with the 911 we will continue with the turbo engines that’s clear. We will have a GT2 RS, we will have a GT3. But which level we go with the hybrid isn’t decided yet, but it has to be a very sporty one.”
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming Hybrid 911 right here in the Rennlist Forum!
5. Calming the Purists
Porsche has proven in the past that it's serious about harnessing the power of electricity for performance, winning the last three 24 Hours of Le Mans with hybrid power and producing exciting cars like the Panamera S E-Hybrid and 918 Spyder. And Porsche isn't rushing to build a Hybrid 911, instead waiting until technology allows them to do so with no compromises in terms of weight or packaging. So rest easy, purists. Just like we survived the move away from air-cooling, we'll make it through this electrified future. And the 911 lineup will only get better as a result.
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming Hybrid 911 right here in the Rennlist Forum!
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