A few months after Porsche's CEO emphatically shut down any thought of seeing an all-electric Porsche 911, a high-ranking executive has come out with a softer stance, saying that if Porsche decides to give the 911 an EV overhaul, it would be the last Porsche model to get that treatment. It’s not a clear-cut declaration that the 911 is going electric eventually, but it does open the door a bit on the possibility that we will, after all, see an all-electric version of the automaker’s most iconic model.

We all know how quickly declarations and proclamations change in the auto industry, so while it was disappointing to hear Porsche CEO Oliver Blume’s position on an all-electric Porsche 911 a few months ago, it’s not impossible to assume that his stance has changed since he came out and said those words. Then again, it could just be Porsche VP of Motorsport and GT Cars Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser speaking out of turn when he told Australian outlet Drive that the “911 would be the last car that we would make with an electric drivetrain.”

Regardless of the intent behind his words, it seems that Dr. Walliser knows something that we don’t. His comments line up well with reports about Porsche’s electrification plans for the future, specifically with the 911. Reports of the 911 being offered as a plug-in hybrid have been floating around in recent years, and even if Blume said what he said about an electric 911 — it would never happen — there are a lot of things that could happen inside the company that could render his position mute.

Think about it for a second; Blume’s comments do sound a bit premature. Porsche hasn’t scratched the surface of what it could do with plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars, and here you have the company’s CEO loudly saying that an EV 911 is never going to happen? Maybe Blume did feel strongly about it to comment on the subject a few months ago. But to say that an all-electric 911 is never going to happen would be eliminating the possibility altogether even before seeing what kind of opportunities are there with an all-electric 911.

Dr. Walliser’s comments don’t exactly jolt hope back into the thought of one day seeing a plug-in hybrid or all-electric Porsche 911. But the door is now open ever so slightly. What Porsche decides to do about it should give us a better understanding of its future plans for its legendary face of the franchise. Here’s to hoping, then, that the door is blown wide open.

Further Reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Porsche 911.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe.

Read our full review on the current 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo.

Read our full review on the current 2017 Porsche 911.

Read more Porsche news.