Porsche has bravely stepped into the EV world with the new Taycan, and it has sparked a lot of conversation about when the rest of the lineup will move into electrification as well. There’s potential that the 718 Cayman could go electric or at least hybrid when the next-gen model launches, but what about the 911? Will Porsche’s most iconic car take a ride on the greener side of things anytime soon? Well, Porsche’s Director of its Sports Car Line had something to say about it, and it might surprise you. … or maybe it wont.

When Will the Porsche 911 Become a Hybrid or EV?

Porsche will probably continue to produce the 911 with the traditional gasoline engine until at least 2030, and there’s a number of good reasons for it from heritage to packaging concerns.

Our spiritual colleagues over at Autocar had the chance to sit down and speak with none other than Frank-Steggen Walliser, the man in charge of Porsche’s sports car line, and he was adamant that the 911 will, eventually, move into hybrid and electric territory. When it will happen, on the other hand, might not even happen under his watch.

Those are pretty strong words from the guy that’s responsible for cars like the 911, but those are also words of a man that understands what customers really want, regulations and trends be damned. The same story goes for the prospect of making the 911 a hybrid, something that has been speculated on a lot over the past few years. It boils down to a lot more than just meeting emissions regulations, and Porsche has no problem in keeping the thrill and performance of the 911 going strong. It’s more about packaging. Throwing in an electric motor and battery, even small ones, would have a dramatic effect on the 911. A total overhaul of its design would be needed and it could ruin the car’s iconic status altogether. Speaking about a hybrid 911, Walliser said,

He also went on to discuss the weight implications of moving into hybrid territory. He made it clear that he’s “not ready to put that amount of additional weight into the car.” He even admitted that it would be “easier to make a completely new car.”

So, if you’re still asking when the Porsche 911 will be offered as a hybrid, well, you need to look at leas 6 years into the future. Even a simple hybrid won’t happen until the next redesign, which – given the 911’s traditional seven-year life-cycle – means it wouldn’t be introduced before 2026 at the earliest. And, that’s assuming that Porsche would introduce it first. When will Porsche make an electric 911? Well, if Walliser has his way, it won’t happen until at least 2030, which would be in the middle of the next-gen model’s life-cycle, and that means that it might not actually happen until a few years after that.

TopSpeed’s Thoughts on a Hybrid or Electric Porsche 911

The truth is that the Porsche 911 is well-endowed when it comes to iconic stature. Despite the trends in the world today with EVs gaining more popularity by the day, not to mention increasingly stringent emissions regulations, it’s of paramount importance that Porsche stands it ground on the 911. Moving the 911 into electric or even hybrid territory would sacrifice everything that the 911 is and it would dramatically alter the dynamic and spirit of the car itself. Someday, an electric Porsche 911 will make sense, but I stand by Walliser when he says that the 911 will be the last of the Porsche lineup to go electric.

2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S specifications