The 2025 Porsche 911 GTS' Hybrid Engine Proves Electric Is The Future Of Sports Cars

The 2025 Porsche 911 is going electric — or at least the latest GTS is, with a new hybrid drivetrain that promises faster acceleration and more eagerness from a standing start. Nestled in among the gas-only Carrera, Turbo, and RS3 versions, the new 2025 911 Carrera GTS is Porsche's first road-going hybrid version of its iconic sports car. While EVs may be most associated with going green, though, the performance focus here should be enough to stop 911 enthusiasts from seeing red.

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Outside there are design changes, though you might need to be a 911 enthusiast to spot them right away. LED Matrix headlamps are standard now, with Porsche integrating all the other lighting features into the same cluster; larger lower air intakes — with active air flaps on the GTS — are used, while the front ADAS sensors have been relocated to a more discreet location under the license plate mount.

At the rear, a new trunk-spanning light bar adds PORSCHE badging, and there's a new grille and a variable rear spoiler. If you can't see the badges, the exhaust systems might be the big giveaway between model lines: the 911 Carrera GTS has a sport system as standard.

A risk on Porsche's most purist-friendly 911

Electrification is a big opportunity for Porsche — and a big gamble, with it. The German automaker is clearly no stranger to performance-electric cars, as its hybrid and all-electric variants of the Cayenne, Panamera, and Taycan make clear. All the same, while the 911 may not sell in the same volume, it remains Porsche's halo car — and that means a lot is riding on making its first road-going hybrid variant a success.

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The result is a multi-pronged strategy, with only the 2025 Porsche 911 GTS going hybrid initially. The 2025 911 Carrera will stick with the 3.0-liter twin-turbo boxer engine, now making 388 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque thanks to the 911 Turbo's intercooler, among other tweaks; 0-60 mph is trimmed by a tenth of a second to 3.9 seconds, or 3.7 seconds with the Sport Chrono package. Top speed is up 1 mph, to 183 mph, and there'll be both Coupe and Cabriolet versions.

Meanwhile, the current 911 Turbo, 911 Turbo S, and 911 GTS RS continue in their current form. The 2025 model year versions will stick with 2024 pricing, too, kicking off at $197,200 (plus $1,995 destination) for the 2025 911 Turbo. The 2025 911 Turbo S starts at $230,400, and the 2025 911 GT3 RS from $241,300 (both plus destination).

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More than just an added electric motor

The new hybrid 911 doesn't just have an electric motor strapped to the old engine. In fact, Porsche has developed a new, 3.6-liter boxer engine — 0.6-liters bigger in capacity than the boxer in the old GTS — that on its own musters 478 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Despite the extra capacity, the new high-voltage electric system can now power the A/C compressor, meaning Porsche could leave off the old belt drive and make the new engine physically smaller overall.

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That efficiency is key to the packaging. The 12V battery is now a smaller, lithium-ion pack, mounted behind the rear parcel shelf; its predecessor's location under the front hood now accommodates the hybrid 911's 1.9 kWh (gross) 400V high-voltage battery. That powers the new electric turbocharger on the gas engine, as well as a permanently excited synchronous motor integrated with the new eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.

The latter contributes up to 110 pound-feet of torque and up to 40 kW (54 horsepower), taking overall system power to 532 horsepower and 449 pound-feet. That's 59 horsepower more than the old, gas-only 911 GTS. The new turbocharger, meanwhile, can also operate as a generator, pumping up to 11 kW back into the battery.

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Overall, Porsche says, the 2025 911 Carrera should do 0-60 mph in as little as 2.9 seconds — three-tenths of a second faster than the old car — and hit up to 194 mph. Both two and all-wheel drive versions will be offered, along with Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa body styles, but the biggest surprise might be the weight. Even as a hybrid, the new GTS coupe is just 103 pounds heavier than its predecessor.

Changes under the metal and inside the cabin

The drivetrain and body aren't the only changes, mind. The GTS now gets rear-wheel steering as standard, along with standard PASM sport suspension with adaptive dampers; as before, it rides 10mm lower than the standard Carrera. Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) is optional, with its new roll-stabilization system now relying on electro-hydraulics that tap into the high-voltage battery for an uptick in performance. 

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Porsche also adds wider rear tires, and will offer aeroblade-equipped, drag-reducing wheels among the standard 19/20-inch and 20/21-inch options.

Inside, both the 2025 911 Carrera and the GTS will be offered as two-seater or 2+2 with no price difference. The driver's instrumentation is now fully-digital, as in the latest Cayenne SUV, with a classic gauge layout among the options. The 10.9-inch center touchscreen runs a newer version of PCM, with the promise of easier-to-access drive modes and settings, video streaming when the car is parked, and native apps for Apple Music and Spotify. If you're an Apple CarPlay user, the 911 now supports projecting to the driver display as well as the main touchscreen.

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Wireless phone charging — in a cooled central compartment — delivers up to 15W, and there are high-power USB-C PD ports. Ambient lighting is standard, and the regular Carrera now gets the drive mode switch on the steering wheel as standard, too.

You pay more for a hybrid 911

Pricing for the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera kicks off at $120,100 plus destination, and $133,400 for the convertible Cabriolet version. The 2025 911 Carrera GTS starts at $164,900, meanwhile, in coupe form — a $14,000 increase over its non-hybrid predecessor — or $178,200 for the convertible.

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If you want all-wheel drive, the 2025 911 Carrera 4 GTS start at $172,700, while the Cabriolet kicks off at $186,000 (a $15,000 increase over the old version of the droptop). That's the same price as the hardtop-convertible 2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, and all prices are before destination.

While more expensive, it seems entirely likely that demand for the new hybrid 911 will outstrip supply. Order books for the 2025 911 lineup are opening now, with the 911 Carrera expected to begin deliveries in the U.S. in the fall of this year. Porsche says the hybrid 911 Carrera GTS should follow on by the end of 2024.

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