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Porsche Says No to Hybrid Versions of 911, Boxster, and Cayman

 
2,376 views Jan 16, 2010

2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet spy shots

2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet spy shots

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Porsche, the name that is legend in racing and performance vehicles has been questioned about recent decisions.  Enthusiasts feel that the company should not have considered an SUV or a 4 door vehicle as they simply do not symbolize the brand.  Porsche responded by stating the economics and profits of such vehicles allow the company to produce exclusive, rare products such at the GT3.  Without mass production products, many of the marques most exclusive offerings would never enter production.  Enthusiasts responded by supporting the decision and forgive the company for its digression outside of the super car market.

Then came the announcement that the brand would offer hybrid products.  Again brand loyalists showed their displeasure, but Porsche marched on and plans to offer a hybrid version of both the Cayenne SUV expected this spring and a hybrid Panamera sedan soon after.

Porsche enthusiasts can now relax.  The company promises that, despite speculation suggesting a hybrid 911 or Boxster or Cayman, there is simply no merit to the rumors.  CEO Michael Macht told AutoCar that the company has no plans to offer hybrid versions of any of the models listed above.  Macht said that the added weight of a hybrid setup would not be suitable for its sports car offerings and the typical usage of such cars would not benefit from the added efficiency of a hybrid setup.

However, work on an electric 911 continues on.  The company will only produce the vehicle if it can offer identical performance and range to its gasoline powered offering.  911 performance is on par with the best vehicle's in the world so it certainly will not be an easy feat.

Source:  AutoCar.co.uk





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Comments (4)

  1. By Noel Park Posted: 1/16/2010 12:52pm PST

    A wise decision on Porsche's part, IMHO. Now if they could put their acknowledged engineering expertise to work building a world beating 100 mpg+ supertech freestanding Prius one upper, they might be onto something. Plenty of people who could afford a Porsche now drive Priuses as sort of "green" fashion statements. If they could combine the cachet of a Porsche with absolute world beating mileage bragging rights, they might sell quite a few, again IMHO.
     
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  2. By  Nick From Montreal Posted: 1/16/2010 3:24pm PST

    I agree with Noel Park. Tesla and Audi (with the eTron) have proven that electric drive trains can achieve world-class performance. Hybrids, on the other hand make cars heavier and more complicated.
    Man, an electric 911 would be such a dream...
     
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  3. By Chris O Posted: 1/17/2010 2:04am PST

    I wouldn't be at all surprised if Porsche came up with an all electric supercar at some point. The EU expects a CO2 reduction across the range of a whopping 130 grams/km (presently the range average is about 250gr/km) from Porsche. If not there will be consequences, like a €95 per excess gram fine, which if I calculate correctly would add some €12000 to the price of a Porsche by 2015. Since extra credits can be had for innovative technology an all electric car would appear to be an attractive proposition for Porsche. The same rationale seems to be behind BMW's Mini E program and Daimler's Smart EV.
     
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  4. By Kevin Posted: 1/19/2010 6:37pm PST

    I would be very surprised if Porsche ever released an electric 911. The rear mounted, 6 cyl boxster engine is what makes the 911 unique.
    I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with a new, high performance electric car that rivals the 911, but they would surely give it a new name.
     
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