It may not be the very, very end of the iconic internal-combustion-engined Porsche 911 that we’ve known and loved since the Sixties — but it’s certainly the beginning of the bitter, inevitable slow death of that beloved all-ICE Porsche 911 icon by a thousand cuts.
Sure, sure, the new 2025 Porsche 911 GTS continues to sport an internal combustion engine. But Porsche finally capitulates to global “environmental” politics with the introduction of novel hybrid technology to its heretofore untouchable 911 icon.
However, we must grudgingly concede, as well as commend, Porsche’s typically German engineering innovation and excellence in adapting to the prevailing irrational political winds of change.
That said, let’s get started on a brief outline of the key facets of Porsche’s “innovative” 2025 911 GTS hybrid. For more thorough, detailed info and specs, check any of the “First Look” articles about the hybrid 911 on the Internet. For example, refer to the Porsche Club of America’s fine article here.
For an even deeper technical dive, it is imperative that you check out venerable automotive editor and journalist Csaba Csere’s pithy, cogent technical article for Car and Driver here.
- T-Hybrid Technology vs. E-Hybrid Technology
- New 3.6-Liter Flat-Six Engine and its Single (?!) Turbo
- “Electrification” is the 911 T-Hybrid’s Order of the Day
- 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid Pricing
- The World Premiere of the New Porsche 911
- Conclusions and Takeaways on the Death of the Porsche 911 Icon
T-Hybrid Technology vs. E-Hybrid Technology
- Plug In vs. No Plug In
- T-Hybrid Drivetrain
Plug In vs. No Plug In
Probably one of the first questions anyone may have about the new hybrid 911 is: Do you have to plug in the damn, confounded hybrid Porsche 911 at a charging station?
And just what, exactly, is meant by the “T-Hybrid” system that optimally suits the 911…allegedly?
The new 911 is propelled by what has been dubbed “T-Hybrid” technology — to distinguish it from the commonly known plug-in “Prius hybrid” system.
T-Hybrid Drivetrain
For starters, the “T” in T-Hybrid stands for “turbo.” So this is meant to distinguish the no-plug-in 911 Porsche hybrid system from your typically recognized plug-in hybrid drivetrain system, which is commonly known as E-Hybrid technology commonly found in the Toyota Prius and other plug-in hybrid cars.
“We developed and tested various ideas and approaches to decide on a hybrid system that optimally suits the 911. The result is a unique drivetrain that is well-integrated into the overall concept and enhances the performance significantly,” boasts Frank Moser, Vice-President of the 911 and 718 model lines.
It should be noted that this new hybrid technology is being launched for the first time in only the Porsche 911 GTS variants, with other 911 trim lines to inevitably (read: dreadfully) follow.
So how does the “turbo” in T-Hybrid fit in to the grand scheme of things? Please read on…
New 3.6-Liter Flat-Six Engine and its Single (?!) Turbo
- The New 992.2 Engine
- Single Beefy Turbocharger
- But Where’s the Waste Gate?
The New 992.2 Engine
The new 3.6-Liter 992.2 engine of the 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid is the first 9A3 engine. This is the latest evolutionary iteration of the original 2009 Porsche DFI (Direct Fuel Injection) engine.
The engine is freshly developed and is a larger 3.6 liter six-cylinder boxer engine, in contrast to the Carrera’s 3.0-liter engine.
By itself, the new boxer engine develops 478 hp (357 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. The total system power is 532 hp (398 kW) and 449 lb.-ft. The power increase compared to the previous 911 Carrera GTS models is 59 hp (45 kW).
According to Porsche, the new 911 Carrera GTS Coupe accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds – 0.3 second speedier than before – with a top track speed of 194 mph.
Single Beefy Turbocharger
We’ve gotten used to twin turbos powering most latter-day Porsche cars, 911 and non-911 vehicles alike. Such twin turbos were introduced originally for the sake of fuel economy in response to the growing insanely irrational political winds of change.
But now, to spice things up in this instance, the T-Hybrid’s turbo isn’t about fuel economy at all (okay, maybe just a little bit) — rather, the 911 T-Hybrid’s turbo is about performance. And instead of twin turbos, a newfangled beefy single turbo debuts here as one of the 911-hybrid stars of the show.
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But why only a single turbocharger in the new 911 T-Hybrid drivetrain? That’s because the new single turbocharger — supplied by Borg-Warner as have been Porsche’s previous turbos — was developed to be electrically driven to all but eliminate the traditionally existent “turbo lag” inherent in Porsche turbo cars since the 1980s.
But how can “turbo lag” really be eliminated, ask the purists and skeptics?
The New Turbo’s Electric Motor
The T-Hybrid single turbo sports a new integrated electric motor. This novel 14.7-horspower motor is situated on the turbo’s shaft between the compressor wheel and the turbine wheel, where it revs up the turbocharger lickety-split to pump up the boost.
This, ideally, eradicates that dreaded turbo lag from days of Porsche turbo yore — at least on the drawing board. That is, Porsche boasts that the single turbo achieves a peak boost in 0.6 second — in stark contrast to the approximately 3 seconds produced by the twin-turbo 992.1 GTS. So it remains to be seen whether this is fact or fanciful fiction under real-world conditions.
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Curiously, the turbocharger’s electric motor also operates as a generator, which can produce up to 15 hp (11 kW) using the exhaust gas stream.
In addition, another one of Porsche’s boasts is that the single turbocharger is alleged to recuperate energy. On top of that, said energy is supposedly preserved and transmitted to the battery.
But how is the new Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid going to deliver on this lofty promise? Stay tuned. It remains to be seen.
But Where’s the Waste Gate?
Surprisingly, any semblance of a waste gate is apparently relegated to extinction. Because of the unique T-Hybrid configuration, the waste gate is rendered useless.
It is rendered useless because now the waste gate no longer has to regulate the amount of boost to protect the engine as in past unique Porsche 911s.
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This is ingenious because with the innovative set-up, any surplus power is no longer wasted but instead is indeed conserved to charge the battery or energize the electric motor.
The ultimate objective is to improve throttle response and performance. Do you believe…?
“Electrification” is the 911 T-Hybrid’s Order of the Day
- In-Transmission Electric Motor
- Not One, But Two, Electric Batteries
- Electric Air Conditioning And Electric Power Steering
In-Transmission Electric Motor
The novel electric traction motor can produce up to 53 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque. It is positioned within the 8-speed PDK transmission’s bellhousing.
Serving double duty as a veritable starter, it thus eliminates the need for a traditional belt-driven starter as we know it (also see air conditioner and power steering below).
Not One, But Two, Electric Batteries
The new Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid sports an allegedly harmonious duet of batteries, according to Porsche.
The first one is a compact 400-volt, 1.9kWh battery. It has been placed where the conventional 12-volt battery is normally located, i.e., between the windshield and frunk.
The complementary 12-volt lithium ion battery is located behind the car’s aft parcel shelf. This oppositional placement of the two batteries is intended to optimize weight distribution.
Electric Air Conditioning and Electric Power Steering
The Porsche 911 T-Hybrid GTS is thus now beltless, meaning that it employs electric air conditioning and power steering without the need for belts to run them.
This space savings paves the way for the mounting of DC-DC converter, pulse inverter and intercooler on top of the engine — yielding a clearance of about 4.5 inches in the assembly’s height.
No belt drive? So then what drives the water pump? There is no conventional water pump, per se. Instead, the water pump is integrated within the engine itself.
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid Pricing
MSRP does not include tax, title, registration, dealer charges or a $1,995 delivery, processing and handling fee.
• 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS: $164,900
• 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet: $178,200
• 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS: $172,700
• 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet: $186,000
• 2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS: $186,000
The World Premiere of the New Porsche 911
Conclusions and Takeaways on the Death of the Porsche 911 Icon
So. I’ve given you a sketch of (i.e., sketchy) details of the all-new electric Porsche 911. So you decide what you think of it.
I know, I know, I just fudged a bit by calling it the “electric” Porsche 911.
But who are we kidding? With Porsche declaring recently that all models will be all electric, the end is near for ALL ICE Porsche vehicles as we know them.
Thus we — as faithful Porsche devotees and, more importantly, high-paying customers — have all been let down by Porsche.
Since there is no other superior marque to which to segue, we are all relegated to purchasing pre-owned air-cooled and water-cooled Porsches.
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So the market for those increasingly prized Porsches are likely to skyrocket out of sight because of Porsche’s incredible decision to phase out all ICE Porsches.
While the newly introduced Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid has been spirited in under the radar as a “timid” electric vehicle, the fact remains that the iconic 911 is dying its death by a thousand cuts.
The latest headlines presage that unsold electric vehicles are clogging automobile showrooms and lots with fewer and fewer buyers in sight.
So hopefully this might compel Porsche to course-correct by delaying their total elimination of revered internal-combustion Porsche engines, as revealed recently.
With a bit of luck, Porsche’s caving in to global climate-change pressures will meet with some future resistance in the wake of EV sales trending downward of late.
We can dream, can’t we…?
