Porsche unveils a new 911 hybrid as more consumers embrace hybrids instead of electric cars

CNN
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Porsche unveiled the first hybrid version of its most iconic sports car, the 911, on Tuesday, a move that could help electric motors become more accepted even in high-performance cars.

The move also represents a major step in the evolution of one of the world’s most iconic cars. Due to their overall fuel efficiency without sacrificing power, hybrids have become popular in many types of vehicles. They have become increasingly popular in the United States even as sales of purely electric models begin to slow.

German automaker Porsche, a division of Volkswagen AG, already sells plug-in hybrid models such as the Cayenne e-Hybrid SUV and the four-door Panamera e-Hybrid, but the 911 plug-in hybrid is another matter.

Initially, hybrid power will be available in only one version of the car, the high-performance 911 Carrera GTS. With an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed transmission to assist the car’s V6 gas engine, the new 911 will produce up to 532 hp, 59 hp more than the current Carrera GTS.

Few cars are defined by a gasoline engine like the 911, and few automakers are defined by a single model as much as Porsche is by the 911. And while Porsche sells far more SUVs than sports cars these days, the 911 remains the go-to car manufacturer. . Basic model. Even the Porsche Macan and Cayenne SUVs, with their rounded edges and sloping bonnets, reference the 911 in their designs.

In another big change for Porsche, this car will not be a hybrid car, as other hybrid Porsche models have been. The Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid and Panamera e-Hybrid are hybrid vehicles equipped with batteries that can be charged from the electric car charger as well as by the vehicle’s own engine. These models can also travel a certain distance on electric power only after the battery is fully charged. The 911 Carrera GTS will be a fully autonomous hybrid car, charged only by energy from the engine and the brakes. It will not be able to drive long distances using electric power alone.

Besides hybrids, Porsche also sells fully electric cars, such as the Taycan and the new Macan electric SUV. But executives said The 911 will be the last Porsche to go fully electric

Because its architecture is so unique and essential to its brand. By eliminating the engine at the back, which gave the car its distinctive shape and rear-drive feel, what makes it a 911? This new hybrid model, which still has its gas engine mounted in the rear, will be the closest Porsche can get to an electric 911 without raising those kind of questions.

Although electric vehicle sales in the United States continue to rise, The growth rate has slowed sharply in recent months. Meanwhile, sales of hybrid cars are growing faster. The slowdown in electric vehicle sales has been blamed on the relatively high prices of models currently on sale and a lack of reliable public electric vehicle chargers. Hybrid cars are usually cheaper and do not require a charger.

However, this particular hybrid won’t be cheap. Prices for the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS will start at around $165,000.

A Porsche test driver drove the hybrid around Germany’s famous Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack in 7 minutes and 17 seconds – 8.7 seconds faster than the comparable current generation 911 Carrera GTS. The Nürburgring is a twisty and challenging track, so the faster time also indicates that the car’s handling is not hampered by the added weight of the batteries and electric motors.

The unveiling of the new hybrid version comes about 60 years after Porsche launched the 911. The first 911 was unveiled in 1963, but did not go into production until 1964. It was a larger, more powerful addition to Porsche’s original model – the 356.

Both models, which were produced together for only a few years, had small rear seats and engines mounted behind the rear wheels. The layout was similar to Volkswagen Beetlea car designed by Ferdinand Porsche Sr., father of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche, who created the 356. Ferry’s son, Ferdinand “Pozzi” Porsche, worked on the design of the 911, similar to the teardrop-shaped 356. Its shape, including the increasingly narrow rear seats , has remained essentially the same since the original model.