Porsche 911’s future ‘must be ensured’ with engine power

Earlier this month, new Porsche CEO Michael Leiters was reported as saying the 911 won’t go fully electric, though his exact comments we’re published.

The executive’s statement has now been clarified by German publication Auto, Motor und Sport, revealing petrol power remains the focus for the 911 in the immediate future.

“A 911 is such an iconic product that progress there must be ensured with combustion and hybrid technology,” Leiters said at an event run by the publication.

As previously reported, the Porsche 911 only adopted hybrid power for the first time when it was recently updated to ‘992.2’ guise, with the brand’s new T-Hybrid system finding its way in most of the high-end variants.

Porsche has never announced plans for the 911 nameplate to go electric or even feature an EV variant, despite the majority of its product range either having already done so (in the Cayenne and Macan), or becoming electric in the future (the 718 Cayman and Boxster).

Leiters’ announcement comes as Porsche attempts to get back to basics with its business structure, and amid a big change for its future sports car plans.

Porsche’s recent EV U-turns have so far been reported to have cost its parent company the Volkswagen Group €5.1 billion ($9.1 billion).

Earlier this year, a report by Bloomberg - citing insider sources within Porsche - claimed Leiters was considering scrapping the 718 Cayman and Boxster EVs, due to continued delays and rising costs.

Porsche declined to comment on the report, however it follows months of speculation about the future of the Cayman and Boxster, after the sports car twins were discontinued with petrol power in 2025.

Last year Porsche said the new 718 models would be expanded to offer “top ICE (internal combustion engine) derivatives”, suggesting the flagship RS versions of each would be the only versions to get a petrol engine.

According to the report, Porsche deliberated making the new 718 a plug-in hybrid, however this too would require different underpinnings which would increase development costs and blow out its timeline.

While it’s almost certain petrol power will return to the Cayman and Boxster, Porsche reportedly has requirements for the ICE version, such as being able to “achieve dynamic parity” with the EV.

This may be difficult given the 718 EVs use a load-bearing battery pack which forms an integral part of the chassis, something that can’t be replicated with a petrol engine.