The Porsche 911, one of the most iconic sports cars of the last 60 years, has officially become greener.
Porsche’s flagship model will now be sold with a hybrid engine, the German manufacturer has revealed.
The first updated 911 (called the 992.2) with a hybrid engine will arrive in the UK in September and will cost more than £130,000.
But while it improves fuel economy, the car is not a plug-in hybrid and cannot be driven on electric power alone, so its green credentials are limited.
Mediocre and eco-friendly: This is the updated Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, and it’s the first time the iconic sports car is powered by a hybrid powertrain
The new T-Hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain, which stands for Turbo Hybrid, is as far from a Toyota Prius as you can imagine.
It combines a powerful 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors, one mounted on the eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox and the other on a single-compressor.
These use power from a compact 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery that forms a 400 V electrical system.
The new T-Hybrid, which stands for Turbo Hybrid, is a gasoline-electric powertrain that’s about as far from a Toyota Prius as you can imagine.
The powertrain is made up of a 3.6-liter turbocharged six-cylinder gasoline engine, two electric motors and a compact 1.9kWh lithium-ion battery, forming a 400V electrical system.
The green powertrain debuts in the refreshed Carrera GTS, the grand tourer variant of the 911 that sits below the sportier Turbo and GT3 models.
For this version, the hybrid engine will produce 534 hp. This is a 60PS increase over the pre-facelift GTS, despite its predecessor using a 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine.
Porsche claims its new electrified 911 GTS will accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than the previous model.
The automaker also claims a 0-100 mph time of just 6.8 seconds (0.9 seconds faster than before) and 0-124 mph in just 10.5 seconds, shaving 1.1 seconds off the previous best time.
Top speed has also increased, although only slightly, from 1 mph to 194 mph.
The green engine debuts in the renewed Carrera GTS (in the photo): the 911 grand tourer
Power has increased by 60PS over the outgoing GTS, which had a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol engine, to 534PS.
Porsche claims its new electrified 911 GTS will accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than the previous model.
The impressive performance statistics come despite the T-Hybrid weighing around 50kg more than the model it replaces.
Curb weight is 1,595kg, with about half of the extra volume coming from the battery alone.
But that hasn’t made him slower on a track.
In fact, the new GTS has already set an official Nurburgring lap time on the 12.9-mile Nordschleife (North Loop) circuit that winds through the forests of Germany’s Eifel Mountains.
It recorded a lap in 7 minutes and 16.9 seconds, almost 9 seconds faster than the time set by its predecessor.
Is it greener?
But the big question remains: how much better is it for the environment and your bank account?
Well, to be honest, not much.
CO2 emissions are said to be between 239 and 251g/km, so you can forget about owning a 911 with cheap road tax. In fact, it is in the second most expensive VED band, meaning annual costs of £590 per year for the standard tariff.
While it doesn’t guzzle gas like a Prius, the quoted fuel economy figures of 25.7 to 26.9 mpg are tremendously impressive for a car with enough power to rearrange your facial structure.
It’s not cheap either. Prices for the GTS Coupe start from £132,600, which is a huge markup on the Carrera GTS’s previous price of just under £110,000.
The 911 Carrera GTS hybrid will be available in three body options: Cabriolet (left), Coupé (center) and Targa (right). GTS Coupe prices start from £132,600
The Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet comes with a £10,000 markup on the coupe, starting at £142,600
The most expensive 911 hybrid since launch is this Carrera GTS Targa for £149,100
The most notable change of all is the introduction of a new all-digital instrument cluster. While most new family cars for 2024 have this luxury, it is the first time a 911 has not been sold with an analogue rev counter for the first time since the original debuted in 1964.
Customers can also choose between the two traditional 911 convertible options: the GTS Cabriolet from £142,600 or the GTS Targa, from £149,100.
However, for those who want to spend less on a facelifted 911, the cheapest base Carrera Coupe (without hybridization) will also be sold from launch and will cost Porsche fans just under £100,000 (£99,800).
As with any model update, subtle adjustments have been made to the exterior and interior.
The most notable change of all is the introduction of a new all-digital instrument cluster.
While most new family cars for 2024 have this luxury, it is the first time a 911 has not been sold with an analogue rev counter since the original debuted in 1964.
However, it retains its traditional analog clock at the top of the dashboard.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.
