Believe it or not, Porsche will launch its next-generation 911 in 2019, and sales will begin not long thereafter. We've seen spy shots of the next 911 and while its exterior styling won't dramatically change, the electrification plans Porsche has for it aren't visible to the naked eye. Automotive News spoke with Porsche CEO Oliver Blume recently, and he revealed that the German sports car company is currently working on a plug-in hybrid 911. No big surprise there, but what's new today is when it'll go on sale.

Considering the redesigned 911 is only a year or so away, the plug-in hybrid version won't be ready in time. Porsche knows it needs to get this right. Therefore, it'll be good to go for the next 911's mid-life facelift. In Porsche's world, those facelift take place about every four years, so expect the plug-in hybrid 911 to arrive in 2023. Interestingly, Blume admitted the plug-in hybrid has yet to receive final approval. We suspect this is because management is waiting to see the technology that engineers present them with. If it meets their standards, and it likely will, the green light will be given.

Also, the next 911's platform has already been designed to accommodate the battery system required for a plug-in hybrid. Blume said Porsche is targeting a driving range up to 43 miles of pure electric power for the 911 plug-in, which is being made possible thanks to a new generation of batteries.