Porsche has made it clear: we won’t see a fully electric 911 before the end of the decade. Honestly, I’m not surprised, given an overall slower market adoption of EVs and Porsche itself backtracking on its previous goals, which were previously set to achieve 80 percent electrification by the end of the decade. In the meantime, they’re pivoting towards hybrids across its model lineup, including on its 911, with the hybrid Carrera GTS already hitting the market. The T-Hybrid system on the 911 Carrera GTS of course is a system that focuses on performance, rather than Porsche’s plug-in E-Hybrid system that is all about efficiency. Next year, we can expect the 992.2 Turbo models to join the hybrid fray.

The Next Chapter Of The 911 Turbo Range Will Feature Electrification

This latest development comes straight from Lutz Meschke, Porsche’s Deputy CEO and CFO, during a recent earnings call discussing Q3 2024 sales. He stated that the upcoming 911 Turbo models will feature battery cells sourced from Varta as part of a strategic partnership. Back in August, Porsche announced plans to acquire a majority stake in V4Drive Battery GmbH, a subsidiary of Varta, with a hefty €60 million investment. On the other hand, Porsche spokesperson Luke Vandezande was tight-lipped about specific technical details regarding the new Turbo hybrid model, but he did confirm that it’s on the way.

"We can confirm that we have, among other versions, a new turbo variant in the 911 pipeline. As usual, we will choose an innovative drive train concept for the highest-performance derivative of our icon. However, we are not in a position yet to confirm the exact timing." Porsche spokesperson Luke Vandezande told Motor1.

Now we already know this given the spy shots of Hybridised 911 Turbo test mules we’ve seen over the past year. However, it is worth noting that Vandezande did not reveal specifically, which Turbo model will feature the T-Hybrid tech. Since the T-Hybrid system isn’t compatible with a manual, we’ve previously speculated that the base Turbo (RWD / manual) will feature internal combustion, whereas the Turbo S and Turbo S (AWD / PDK) and Turbo S Touring (RWD / PDK) variants will feature hybrid tech.

Meschke also shared that production for the yet-to-be-released 911 Carrera S is set to kick off in early 2025. Unlike its Hybrid GTS counterpart, with the all-new 3.6-liter flat-six which debuted alongside it in May, the Carrera S will remain a traditional gas-only model, like the base Carrera and manual-only Carrera T that debuted earlier this week. The Carrera got a modest power bump from 379 to 388 horsepower thanks to upgraded turbochargers from the outgoing GTS. The Carrera S model is expected to push out around 454 horsepower in 2026.

As the gas-only 2025 911 Turbo is a carry-over model and is already available in the U.S., its hybrid Turbo 911’s launch will likely happen for the 2026 model year. For now, we’ll have to settle for the hybrid GTS arriving before year-end as a precursor to those Turbo-badged models. However, I can’t help but worry about potential price hikes. This is a trend that we’ve seen across the board with most of the 992.2 models from the Carrera to the GT3. The 992.2 GTS with the T-Hybird tech is about $15,000 pricier than before at 165k+, so I wonder how much more you may have to shell out for the upcoming hybridized Turbo models.

To sum it up, while purists might lament this shift towards hybrids in such an iconic model (I mean common, not too long ago when hybrid meant Prius, but today hybrids are cool?), I see it as a move where they’re adapting to changing market conditions while trying to maintain what makes the 911 so special. After all, the 911 remains the heart and soul of Porsche, and it appears that the German brand is committed to squeezing every last drop of life from its internal combustion engines.

GALLERY