- Porsche will reportedly unveil a new, hybridized version of the 911 Dakar coupe this year.
- The lifted 992.2 allegedly gains a 543 hp 3.6 six with a tiny 1.9 kWh battery.
- Porsche sources say the Dakar should debut at the end of 2025, making it a 26MY.
Porsche took the 911 in a new direction with the 992 Dakar, that direction being vertical, and for 2026, the innovative, rally-inspired sports car returns, according to a new report. And this time it’s packing hybrid power.
Though Porsche itself has said nothing about the comeback rumors, company sources told a British magazine that a Dakar version of the facelifted 992.2-generation 911 will probably make its debut at the end of 2025.
Related: Porsche Ends 911 Dakar Production With Race-Inspired One-Off
But instead of the 3.0-liter flat-six that powered the original, the updated Dakar will use the electrically-assisted 3.6-liter motor Porsche developed for the new 992.2 GTS, the first ever hybrid 911, Autocar reports.
The first Dakar’s engine was also lifted from the GTS of the time, but the addition of hybrid power and another 600 cc has given the output a huge boost. Where the old 3.6 made 473 hp (480 PS) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm), the new ICE unit delivers 478 hp ( 485 PS) and the same torque, but can also draw on 53 hp (54 PS) and 110 lb-ft (149 Nm) of electric energy.
Zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) took 3.4 seconds in the old Dakar, but the new one should get close to the 2.9 seconds achieved by the hybrid GTS. All-wheel drive and a PDK paddle-shift transmission will again be standard in the Dakar T-Hybrid, whose tiny 1.9 kWh battery doesn’t allow electric-only driving.
Porsche limited production of the previous Dakar to only 2,500 units, and it’s likely availability of the new one will also be restricted. Expect the price to climb, though, from the $220,020 charged in 2022 to nearer $250k, and that’s before you’ve added a special paint scheme. The Rothmans-style “Rally Design Package” livery on the last Dakar was a $26k option.
Production of the last Dakar ended in November 2024, the final car wearing the eye-catching yellow and blue colors of the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally-winning 911 driven by René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne. The work of Porsche’s Sonderwunsch (special wish) division, it was painted entirely by hand.
