Yahoo Autos Porsche Still Isn't Fully Convinced a Hybrid 911 Is a Good Idea
Thanks to inevitable rising fuel costs and increasingly strict government regulations, most automakers see electrification as the future. Thanks to the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder, we've also seen that hybrids can still be fantastic drivers' cars. But while we've heard a hybrid 911 may be on its way, that doesn't necessarily mean that Porsche wants to do so.
Speaking to Australia's Motoring, model line director Thomas Krickelberg explained that Porsche's biggest issue with a hybrid 911 is packaging. "Maybe 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 is not a 911 anymore," said Krickelberg.
And even if Porsche can figure out a way to add a battery and a motor without radically altering the 911, there's also the issue of how much weight it will add.
"A hybrid system means you have two engine systems; a combustion engine and an electric engine; two storage systems, a fuel tank and a battery," he said. "Therefore you need space and weight, additional weight. We are, to be honest, not sure because this is a 911. So we haven't made a decision."
The issues with packaging and weight might explain why Porsche's offered seemingly conflicting information about future 911 plans. It appears Porsche knows regulations may force it to electrify its entire range, but it might not necessarily know how to do that without losing what makes the 911 special. Or, as Krickelberg put it, "we are prepared if we have to [build a hybrid 911], but we are not convinced that we should."
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