One of the most iconic sports cars on the road is about to undergo one of its biggest changes to date.
Porsche, on May 28, will unveil a hybrid Porsche 911, which will utilize both a gas engine and at least one battery-powered electric motor, the company announced Monday.
“For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we are installing a hybrid drive system in a roadgoing 911,” said Frank Moser, vice president of the 911 and 718 model lines.
Development of the new 911 was done under a variety of conditions, the company says, ranging from freezing cold to the heat of Dubai as well as stop-and-go traffic. The company says the new car has logged more than 3 million miles of testing and is faster than existing models, with more grip and more power.
While the 911 hybrid is the highest-profile move toward more climate-friendly engines, it’s hardly the first. Porsche sells fully electric models of its Taycan and Macan SUV.
Details are still scant. There’s no word on price, whether the Hybrid 911 will be a plug-in model, nor whether the changes will impact the car’s iconic look.
The light two-door sports car is the only automobile in the world to mount a high-revving boxer engine low and flat over the rear drive axle, giving it added grip. That positioning gives the 911 the tail-heavy handling and six-cylinder roar it’s known for.
The 911 is not Porsche’s top selling car, but it’s a symbol of the company—and one executives have been slow to move toward an electric model, because it is so closely watched by car enthusiasts. (Officials fear an electric-powered 911 would not be accepted by the car’s fan base.) The move, though, is likely inevitable, given Europe’s plan to ban conventional gas-powered cars by 2035.
