2020 is set to be a big year for Porsche. Not only does it promise to release the frankly crazy Mission E electric saloon by this time, but it’s been confirmed that even the core models from the range will benefit from some sort of electric power by this stage.
Talking at the recent Detroit Motor Show, the firm’s engineering boss, Dr Erhard Mössle, was heard openly discuss how work on the next-generation 911 (set to be released towards the end of the decade) had already begun to accommodate a hybrid power system.
A hybrid system brings with it more weight, so could prove extremely tricky to get right in the 911, with its engine wedged in right at the back of the car. Mössle highlighted how significant weight-loss strategies would need to be incorporated, including extensive use of carbon fibre, to ensure that the sports car’s famously precise and capable performance attributes remain.
Mössle also revealed that manual gearboxes were set to remain an option on the speclist for the time being, despite the fact that only 15% of owners opt for this now dated means of transmission.
If the new 911 turns out anything like the staggeringly bonkers 918 hybrid hypercar, we’re sure in for a treat…
