The Porsche 911 May Never Go Fully Electric

• If it ever does, it’s a long way off.

• In an industry where full electrification is inevitable, this could signal the end of the 911.

• Porsche will continue to offer the ICE or at least as long as they can.

We can’t help but be impressed and satisfied with Porsche AG boss Oliver Blume defending what the Porsche 911 is at its very core. Because of this, Blume says that the 911 may never be powered by an electric powertrain.

“Let me be clear, our icon, the 911, will have a combustion engine for a long time to come,” Blume says. “The 911 is a concept of the car that is prepared for the combustion engine. It’s not useful to combine it with pure electric mobility. We believe in purpose-designed cars for electric mobility.”

This does not mean that Porsche is not working on EVs, as we know and as reported by Bloomberg (subscription required). Although the 911 is the most recognized Porsche product, it’s far from being the biggest seller. The Macan and Cayenne (long ago in the case of the latter) have taken that role within the German carmaker’s portfolio.

Blume adds that, by 2025, half of all Porsche vehicles sold will be electrified—either fully battery-electric or plug-in hybrid. The 911 will remain in the other half. He continues: “I think for the future there is also space for very sporty pure electric sports car to add to those [other] sports cars,” he said. “There are big opportunities.”

Porsche 911 fans need not mourn the demise of their favorite car yet, however. “In the future for the 911, there are good ideas for a special kind of hybrid, a very performance-oriented hybrid, where we use, for example, a 400-volt system for our electric engine,” Blume says. “That’s more or less our idea of how to continue with the 911.”

All we have to say is: Long live the 911!