The Porsche 911 goes green – and the hybrid engine makes it faster too

The Porsche 911 – one of the most iconic sports cars of the past 60 years – has officially become greener.

Porsche’s flagship will now be sold with a hybrid engine, the German manufacturer has revealed.

The first updated 911 (called the 992.2) with a hybrid powerplant will arrive in Britain in September and will cost more than £130,000.

But while this improves fuel economy, the car is not a plug-in hybrid and cannot run on electricity alone, so its environmental credentials are limited.

The new T-Hybrid – which stands for Turbo Hybrid – petrol-electric powertrain is as far removed 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 in the eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox and the other in the single turbocharger.

These use energy from a compact 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, which forms a 400 V electrical system.

Energy is returned to the battery through a combination of an energy recovery system in the turbocharger and regenerative braking.

Given the car’s rapid acceleration and plentiful power, the brakes will likely have to work overtime to provide a new energy source.

The green powertrain debuts in the updated Carrera GTS – the grand touring-tuned variant of the 911 that sits below the sportier Turbo and hardcore GT3 models.

For this version, the hybrid engine will produce 534 hp. This is a 60bhp increase over the pre-facelift GTS, despite its predecessor using a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine.

Porsche claims the new electrified 911 GTS will accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 3 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds faster than the previous model.

The automaker also quotes a 0 to 160 km/h time of just 6.8 seconds – 0.9 seconds faster than before – and 0 to 190 km/h in just 10.5 seconds, which is 1.1 seconds less than the previous record.

Top speed has also increased, albeit only a fraction from 1 to 310 km/h.

The impressive performance stats come despite the T-Hybrid tipping the scales by some 50kg heavier than the model it replaces.

The curb weight is 1,595 kg, with about half of the extra volume coming from the battery alone.

But that hasn’t made it any slower on a track.

The new GTS has even set an official Nürburgring lap time on the 20-kilometre Nordschleife circuit that winds through the forests of the Eifel Mountains in Germany.

He clocked a lap in 7 minutes and 16.9 seconds, which is almost 9 seconds faster than the time of his predecessor.

Is it even greener?

The big question remains: how much better is it for the environment and your bank account?

Well, not that much at all, to be honest.

CO2 emissions are said to be between 239 and 251 g/km, so you can forget about a 911 with cheap road tax. In fact, it’s in the second most expensive VED band, which equates to an annual cost of £590 per year for the standard rate.

While it doesn’t drink gas and can’t be driven in EV mode like a Prius, the quoted fuel economy figures of 25.7 to 26.9 mpg are hugely impressive for a car with enough power to rearrange your facial structure.

It’s not cheap either. Prices for the GTS Coupé start from £132,600, which is a big mark-up on the previous Carrera GTS price of just under £110,000.

Customers can also choose it from the 911’s two traditional open-top options: the GTS Cabriolet from €142,600 or the GTS Targa, from €149,100.

For those looking to spend less on a facelifted 911, the cheapest base Carrera Coupé (without hybridisation) will also be sold from launch, setting Porsche fans back just under £100,000 (£99,800).

As with every model update, subtle adjustments have been made to the exterior and interior.

The most noticeable change of all is the introduction of a new, fully digital instrument cluster.

While most new-for-2024 family cars have this luxury, it’s the first time a 911 hasn’t been sold with an analog tachometer since the original debuted in 1964.

However, it does retain the traditional analogue clock at the top of the dashboard.