Having already announced it will add a plug-in hybrid edition to the next generation of its 911, Porsche is looking at the possibility of adding a second electrified version to the model’s roster. The confirmed plug-in hybrid version, known internally under the code name 992, is expected to be introduced sometime in 2019. A new report out of Germany suggests that the automaker is considering producing a second electrified model to the 911 roster.
The “992” variant will join the Porsche lineup alongside the Carrera. It will feature a flat-six engine working in conjunction with an electric motor. This edition of the 911 will benefit from Porsche’s PDK transmission and get all-wheel drive. Total power output should be around 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque.
Those capabilities will give the model a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of just under 4 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h. Its fuel consumption figures will of course vary depending on the electric range the mode is capable of (still unknown), and the use each driver makes of it.
It’s said the plug-in hybrid could weigh as much as 500 lbs more than its non-hybrid twin, the Carrera. Porsche is unlikely to be fazed by this difference, as its engineers have already to deal with establishing the right weight equilibrium of a hybrid car, in the case of the 918 Spyder.
The potential second electrified offering is for now unconfirmed. If it does become reality, it would adopt a more conventional hybrid configuration. According to Auto Express magazine, Porsche’s top brass are still debating whether the company should be offering a “green” version of its top-end 911 model. A new hybrid product would sit in the lineup alongside the Turbo S version of the 911.
The concern at Porsche is that introducing an electric configuration for a model known for its performance capabilities would sabotage the image of the 911 model. This seems like a strange argument to advance, given that electrified variants often manage a higher power output than their gasoline-engine siblings.
The reality for Porsche and everyone else is that going hybrid in some form or other is pretty much an inevitability. Porsche itself has already announced that it expects half of its vehicle sales to consist of electrified models by 2025.