Aside from having four wheels, it’s hard to see what a US $30,000 Toyota Camry has in common with a $3 million Ferrari F80. But these market bookends are examples of an under-the-radar tech revolution. From budget transportation to hypercars, every category of internal-combustion car is now harnessing hybrid tech.
In “As EV Sales Stall, Plug-In Hybrids Get a Reboot,” I describe the vanguard of this new hybrid boom: extended-range EVs like the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, which boasts a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.
The world’s leading performance brands are also embracing hybrid EV tech—not merely to cut emissions or boost efficiency but because of the instant-on, highly controllable torque produced by electric motors. Hybridized models from BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, and Porsche are aimed at driving enthusiasts who have been notoriously resistant to electric cars.
Sam Fiorani, vice-president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, predicts that “nearly all light-duty internal-combustion engines are likely to be hybridized in one form or another over the next decade.” Even mainstream electrified models, Fiorani notes, routinely generate acceleration times that were once limited to exotic machines.
“The performance offered by electric motors cannot be accomplished by gas-powered engines alone without impacting emissions,” Fiorani says. “The high-end brands will need to make the leap that only an electric powertrain can practically provide.”
That leap is well underway, as I experienced firsthand during test drives of the BMW M5, Corvette E-Ray, and Ferrari 296 GTB. These performance hybrids outperform their internal-combustion-only equivalents in almost every way. Most incorporate all-wheel-drive, along with torque vectoring, energy harvesting, and other engineering tricks that are possible with the inclusion of electric motors.
2025 BMW M5: The Heavyweight Hybrid
The BMW M5 sedan is a literal heavyweight, tipping the scales at 2,435 kilograms.BMW
The 2025 BMW M5 sedan adds plug-in hybrid power to one of the company’s iconic models. A twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 engine pairs with a fifth-generation BMW eMotor and a 14.8-kilowatt-hour battery. The M5 can cruise silently on battery power for 69 km (43 miles). The biggest downside is the car’s crushing curb weight—up to 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds)—and poor fuel economy once its electric range is spent. The upside is 527 kilowatts (717 horsepower) of Teutonic aggression, which I experienced from Munich to the Black Forest, making Autobahn sprints at up to 280 kph (174 mph).
Ferrari 296 GTB and F80: Top of the Hybrid Food Chain
Although the Ferrari 296 GTB is a plug-in hybrid, its goal is high performance, not high gas mileage.Ferrari
Ferrari’s swoopy 296 GTB is a plug-in hybrid with a 122-kW electric motor sandwiched between a 3.0-liter V-6 and an F1 automated gearbox, producing a total of 602 kilowatts (819 horsepower). The 296 GTB can cover just 25 km on electricity alone, but that could be enough to pass through European low-emission zones, where internal-combustion cars may eventually be banned.
Of course, the 296 GTB’s main goal is high performance, not high gas mileage. A digital brake-by-wire system makes it Ferrari’s shortest-stopping production car, and the brakes regenerate enough energy that I was able to recharge the 7.5-kWh battery on-the-fly in roughly 10 minutes of driving. Despite its modest V-6 engine, the 296 GTB turns faster laps around Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit than any V-8 model in company history. The Ferrari weighs in at 1,467 kilograms (3,234 pounds), unusually svelte for a hybrid, which aids its sharp handling.
At the top of the hybrid food chain is Ferrari’s F80, a hypercar inspired by Formula 1 racers. It pairs a V-6 with five electric motors—two in turbochargers, three for propulsion—for a total of 882 kW (1,200 horsepower). The two electric motors driving the front wheels allow for independent torque vectoring. Only 799 of the F80s will be built, but those numbers do not capture the cultural impact of harnessing hybrid tech in one of the world’s most exclusive sports cars.
Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid: A First for Porsche
The Porsche 911 now has its first electrified design. The new Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid keeps the model’s classic flat-six, rear-engine layout but adds a 40-kW electric motor, for a combined 391 kW (532 horsepower). Another 20-kW motor drives a single electric turbocharger, which has much less lag and wasted heat than mechanical turbochargers do.
Porsche’s 911 GTS T-Hybrid is the carmaker’s first electric car offering.Porsche
The 911 GTS T-Hybrid’s 400-volt system quickly spools that turbo up to 120,000 rpm; peak turbo boost arrives in less than one second, versus more than three seconds before [[
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