The first-ever 911 with any electrification has just finished global testing and will enter series production soon. The announcement came from Porsche, which included the first official images of the 911 hybrid prototypes testing in Dubai and a confirmed global debut date of 28th May.
At this stage, not much is known about the 911 hybrid’s petrol-electric powertrain or performance figures. However, Porsche has hinted at its potential by revealing its Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of 7:16.934 minutes, which is “8.7 seconds faster than the corresponding version of the predecessor model.” The exact version of the preceding model was not confirmed. The Nürburgring test car was equipped with standard road tyres and an optional aero kit with a fixed rear wing.
For reference, the current 911 Turbo S clocked a Nürburgring lap time of 7:17.3 minutes in 2021, which puts the hybrid 911 within half a second of it. That’s some serious performance, as the 911 Turbo S packs 641bhp and clocks 0-100km/h in just 2.6 seconds.
Though not officially confirmed, the electrified 911 is unlikely to be a plug-in hybrid. The new 400V architecture, consisting of a front-mounted main electric motor and a 48V integrated starter generator, will most likely rely on self-charging methods such as brake energy regeneration and using the engine as a generator, thereby eliminating the need for external battery charging.
Expected to hit the showroom floors by the end of 2024, the hybrid 911 will also bring a mid-cycle facelift for the current 992-generation model. It’s also one of four new Porsche models to debut this year, alongside the new electric Macan, Panamera, and the Taycan Turbo GT.