Porsche confirms there will never be an electric 911 and explains why it won't happen

The future of the Porsche 911 has been the subject of speculation as carmakers continue their shift towards EVs.

People have wondered whether the iconic sports car will eventually follow the same path as other performance models.

Now, Porsche’s new CEO Michael Leiters has given one of the clearest indications yet about what’s in store for the legendary badge.

And he’s revealed a key reason why the 911 won’t be going electric.

The 911 is defined by its engine

A lot of quotes are attributed to Enzo Ferrari, and one of the most famous goes: “When you buy a Ferrari, you buy an engine, and the rest of the car is free.”

So many cars today are still defined by their engines.

And in a Porsche 911, that engine is a flat-six, famously slung all the way out past the rear wheels.

The 911 is one of the single remaining automotive icons that is truly rear-engined.

Most sports cars are either front-engined (like the Ford Mustang or the Nissan Skyline) or mid-engined (like most modern Ferraris and Lamborghinis).

That’s one of the reasons why Porsche doesn’t want to build an electric 911.

It’s not just that an electric motor lacks the soul of a flat-six, but that in an EV, physical motor placement becomes an afterthought.

If you bolt a heavy electric drive unit behind the rear axle but place two small assist motors upfront, does that truly preserve the rear-engine weight bias?

Technically it might, but the meaning of the layout is lost.

But there’s also another reason.

The second reason why the Porsche 911 won’t be electric: hybrid is the way to go

Porsche is halfway between a mass-production automaker and a boutique manufacturer.

They sell a significant volume for a brand with an average MSRP well into six figures, but their overall volume is nowhere near giants like Mercedes or BMW.

At the same time, they outsell both Lambo and Ferrari by a significant margin.

And it’s all by design.

But their unique position in the market means they have a lot of leeway.

They have the freedom to scale up electrification where it makes sense, and they’ve concluded that, for now, it makes sense for their sedans and SUVs, but not the 911 or the 718.

What the Porsche CEO said about an electric 911

That’s why Michael Leiters, the new CEO of Porsche appointed earlier this year, said the 911 will retain combustion power.

Leiters confirmed the news at an Auto, Motor und Sport event in Germany earlier in June.

“A 911 is such an iconic product that progress there must be ensured with combustion and hybrid technology,” he said.

The car’s identity is tied to the rear-mounted flat-six and with no plan B, they’d probably have to either ‘kill’ it, rebrand it, or go electric.

But there is a plan B.

Hopefully this’ll last.