Everything That You Need To Know About Porsche's All-New 3.6-Liter 9A3B6 Engine

Porsche Introduces A New Kind Of Hybrid With The 992.2

You might think that the Porsche T-Hybrid’s flat-six engine is based on an existing architecture, but that is not true. Porsche engineered the new. 3.6-liter flat-six from the zero, meaning it is an all-new design. One of the many neat features of Porsche’s iconic flat-six engine is the low center of gravity, and the German engineers have gone above and beyond to make the new, 3.6-liter engine even more compact than the outgoing twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter 9A2B6 flat-six it replaces in the 911 GTS. The 9A3 engine is 110 mm lower than the 3.0-liter, MA1 flat-six, despite featuring a larger bore and stroke.

Porsche T-Hybrid combines MHEV and FHEV characteristics

Unlike the Porsche Panamera hybrid, which is far from lightweight, the German sports car manufacturer knew it had to keep the 911 as light as possible. As a result, the 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid weighs just 77 pounds more than the outgoing, non-hybrid 911 GTS while boasting a lot more power. The 2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS weighs 3,847 pounds, making it the heaviest 911 out there. That’s 77 pounds more than the 992.1 Targa 4 GTS. The compact e-motor is inside the PDK transmission housing while the 59-pound (27 kg) hybrid battery sits up front for better weight distribution. The packaging of the T-Hybrid powertrain is similar to a mild hybrid, but the system works as a full hybrid, aiding the internal combustion engine in more than just off-the-line acceleration and in-between gear shifts. The 2025 Porsche 911 hybrid cannot be driven on electric power alone.

Clever packaging and energy management

When developing the T-Hybrid powertrain, Porsche engineers decided no energy would go to waste. We mentioned the new engine is 110 mm lower than the 3.0-liter boxer, and that’s because all accessories like the A/C compressor, are electrically driven by the 400-volt architecture, so fewer pulleys and control modules are required on the engine. No belt-driven engine periphery means no parasitic loss, but that’s not all.

Porsche’s 9A3, 3.6-liter boxer engine features a truck-size turbocharger. Normally, this would mean big power, but also eternal turbo-lag, but not here. The single turbocharger in the 9A3 engine works, largely, as a conventional turbo, but it also features an integrated electric motor that helps it spool up, negating the typical turbo lag. This along with a superior power-to-weight ratio is what allowed the hybrid 911 GTS to lap the Nordschleife 8.7 seconds quicker than the non-hybrid, 992.1 GTS.

The E-motor on the Porsche 9A3 turbocharger does more

The electric motor, integrated into the T-Hybrid engine’s turbocharger can also reverse its polarity, similar to what regenerative braking does. This means that when the excess energy is not needed to power the turbo, the turbocharger’s e-motor can charge the hybrid battery, which in turn, works with the engine. For this reason, the 9A3 engine’s turbocharger doesn’t feature a wastegate. Under these conditions, if the exhaust temperature is too high, the e-motor reduces the turbo speed, redirecting that power to the main electric motor. This way, the internal combustion engine output, and fuel consumption are decreased while the electric motor in the PDK housing, essentially, gets a temporary over-boost function to make up. This way, up to 10 kW of energy can be recovered.

Future applications for the T-Hybrid

While not yet confirmed, Porsche is likely working on a more powerful version of the T-Hybrid powertrain to use in the 992.2 Turbo S. Being the range-topping variant in the 911 family, Porsche will, likely, not leave the GTS as the quickest model in its lineup. The T-Hybrid-powered 911 Carrera 4 GTS already showcased the advantages of hybrid powertrains by lapping the Nurburgring faster than the current 992 Turbo S – 7.16:93 versus the non-hybrid Turbo S’ 7.17:1. A hybrid Porsche 911 Turbo S would likely feature a more powerful engine while keeping a similar hybrid setup to the 2025 GTS.