► First confirmation 911 could become a hybrid
► CEO Mueller says decision due in 2015
► Turbo flat sixes, four-pots and now hybrid 911s
It’s all change for the Porsche 911 this year. CAR has already revealed how the venerable sports car will switch to a mostly turbocharged range of flat sixes in the 991.2 iteration due to be seen at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show – and now the chief exec has confirmed 911 hybrids are under discussion.
CEO Matthias Mueller revealed in an interview that Porsche would make a decision this year whether to produce a plug-in hybrid 911.
‘Why not?’ Mueller told Automotive News. ‘That is a technique which we at Porsche are very familiar with, so we can suppose that we could have plug-ins all over the model range, not only to save fuel but also to boost the performance of these cars.’
Porsche 911: turbos, flat-fours and now hybrids
It’s a sign of the times that Porsche is considering adding a plug-in 911 to its range. The company has developed a whole engineering department specialising in electrification, and has now produced a wide range of racing cars and roadgoing models with hybrid power.
The 918 Spyder proves battery-assisted sports cars can be fun, and 15% of all Panamera sales in the US are the plug-in hybrid version. But to many purists, applying hybrid power to the iconic 911 will be a sacrilegious act.
Mueller told AN that the 911 will ‘possibly’ be the next one. Look out for more clues over the summer, as we finally see the facelifted 911 revealed in what Porschephiles call the 991.2.
Click here to read our tales of owning a secondhand Porsche 997 Carrera in our long-term test blog.