Porsche CEO: "The Porsche 911 Will Never Be Fully Electric"

Purist's Worst Nightmare

If there's one thing that Porsche purists absolutely abhor, it's radical changes. This is a group of people who were up in arms when the 996 911 had those 'fried-egg' headlights and figuratively drew pitchforks when the Cayenne was first revealed. But it's really the 911 crowd that is generally the least receptive to any suggestion of something revolutionary.

So you can probably imagine the collective gasp, and possibly disgust, over supposed plans to eventually introduce an all-electric 911. Granted, it won't happen immediately, but we can imagine that bit of news sent shivers down the Porsche faithful's spines.

The CEO Weighs In

Porsche CEO Michael Leiters recently went on record saying the Taycan was probably released too soon. While he didn't elaborate further, it suggests that the company is taking it a little easier on future EV projects. However, that wasn't the only thing that the executive had mentioned.

Translated from German, Leiters said, "We will continue to invest in electric mobility, but a 911 will not become electric; its future viability must be ensured through combustion engines and hybrid technology." That was said during a recent panel interview hosted by German automotive publication Auto Motor und Sport. We can hear the collective sigh of relief from here.

No to EVs, but Hybrids...

The purists can celebrate the fact that their favorite rear-engined sports car will still have pistons for a very long time. That said, there's still the reality of the 911 adapting to ever-tightening regulations in the future. Like it or not, a greater degree of electrification will be applied to the 911 down the line.

Porsche currently has the T-Hybrid system, and it's reserved for the GTS for now. But while it's electrified, the hybrid system actually does nothing to raise those MPGs. Instead, it's more of an electric boost system that raises performance. Perhaps calling it a hybrid is a bit of a stretch, but it does show that the company can deliver the 911 experience with an electric twist.

For now, Porsche has rejected the idea of a plug-in hybrid version of the 911. Given the sports car's slow evolution, we might see a full-hybrid version come out first, before any sockets and cables get involved.

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