Porsche seen testing hybrid 911

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

Porsche has been seen testing a 911 Turbo at the Nurburgring, thought to be a mule for the upcoming hybrid version.

Porsche has been seen testing a new 911 at the Nurburgring, assumed to be the upcoming electrified version.

From the outside, it looks just like a normal 911 Turbo, but a few crucial differences suggest this is a bit more special. There are the blacked-out windows and rear windows, which are apparently hiding batteries taking the place of the usual rear seats.

Behold: the Porsche 911 Targa's unnecessarily elaborate (but totally awesome) roof mechanism!

Another sign this is electrified is a yellow sticker on the top-left of the rear window, which designates it as a hybrid.

There’s no sign of a charging port, but it is thought the hybrid 911 will be a plug-in like the existing Panamera and Cayenne E-Hybrid variants. The 911 will thus be given the Turbo S E-Hybrid moniker, assuming it takes the top spot in the family.

**READ MORE:

The electrified 911 could be of the plug-in type, and gain the Turbo S E-Hybrid badge, like the hybrid Panamera (shown).

* The Porsche 911 isn't going electric 'for a long time' - if ever

* Porsche will never go completely electric

In any case, the hybrid 911 will be incredibly quick. And, for those fearing change, the 911 will probably never go fully electric.

* Porsche EV development slowed by weight

We’ve known Porsche has been working on such a car for a few years now. When the 992-generation debuted in 2018, it was confirmed the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission was engineered with space for an electric motor to slot into.

August Achleitner, the 911’s vehicle line director, said at the time that developing the hybrid 911 would take time so that battery technology could reach a point where the performance/weight equation is more balanced. He suggested that could take at least four years, which would take us to 2022.

Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume, has also confirmed the 911 will go hybrid, at least at some stage. He told Auto Express last year that: “The platform is hybrid ready, and we have prototypes.”

Stuff was also told that the hybrid 911 won’t use any of the Taycan’s hardware, “but the software experience will help the next generation of hybrids to improve range and become more efficient.”

However, combustion fans can take solace in the fact that the 911 won't go fully electric “for a long time, if ever.”

'Let me be clear, our icon, the 911, will have a combustion engine for a long time to come,' Blume said in 2020.

'The 911 is a concept of the car that is prepared for the combustion engine. It's not useful to combine it with pure electric mobility. We believe in purpose-designed cars for electric mobility.'