It isn't that we don't like electric cars...
They offer great fuel economy, they help the environment, and in the right package they can deliver stupendous performance. But, they lack that special something ... that breathe of the mechanical and that progression of delivery that only a combustion engine can conjure.
And it's cars like the Porsche 911 that are held up high as prime examples of the combustion-engine powered car. Forget mileage, it's all about the sensation and driving pleasure with a 911.
So, it's welcome news to learn that the company have no plans to make a fully electric Porsche 911 for more than a decade, according to a recent interview with Autocar UK.
“With the 911, for the next 10 to 15 years, we will still have a combustion engine. We have combustion engines, then plug-ins as intermediaries, then full EV later on,” said Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume.
“The future concept of 911 will have plug-in built in, but it’s not decided yet if we offer it: 911 is a core business and we need it to be a pure sports car. When customers want it to be electric, we can be ready.”
The introduction of hybrid technology might cause a few grimaces in the gallery, but to be completely fair there are already a bevy of hybrid supercars and hypercars on the market that have A) raised the performance stakes, and B) been met with positive reaction from the motoring enthusiast fanbase.
Of course, just because the 911 is sticking true to combustion engines for a bit longer, it doesn't mean that'll remain the case for the rest of the Porsche range. The much touted Mission E EV is just around the corner (expected to start landing in 2019), and then there are the rumours of the manufacturer getting back into the hybrid-based Formula 1 series in time for their next set of new regulations.