‘I do not believe in an electric 911,’ says Porsche product boss…

By: CAR magazine

Frank-Steffen Walliser, vice-president for the Porsche 911 and 718 model lines, says he does “not believe in an electric 911”.

Speaking to Autocar India, Walliser suggested a fully electric version of the Zuffenhausen-based firm’s iconic sportscar would not happen on his watch.

“If I am being honest, I do not believe in an electric 911. I think the car is too iconic to do so,” he said.

“When I started my job, then on the horizon, there was an idea of an electric 911. If that’s the first job I did, I would be killing this car, which will not happen.”

Walliser said he would “definitely fight for petrol engines as long as we could do that”.

“I strongly believe that for the next 15 to 20 years, we will still see a lot of cars driving with combustion engines. Maybe majority will be plug-in hybrids and hybrid electric vehicles, but that will also take time. It will not happen overnight,” he said.

Speaking separately to CarsGuide, Walliser pointed out there were certain elements that formed an “integral part of the 911 story”.

“For enthusiasts, this has to be emotional. Hearing something, feeling, tasting, is important. The more you can touch all of those emotions, the better it will be to drive,” he told the Australian publication.

“We can do an electric sportscar, but I do not intend on making an electric 911,” he stated.

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