Porsche’s flagship all-wheel drive 911 could be in for some hybridised assistance when it’s revealed in 2024.
Porsche is working on an updated version of its 911 and this new 992.2 generation will get a top-spec Turbo S variant to head-up the range. We’ve spotted that car testing for the first time with some of the styling revisions visible.
The 911 facelift will introduce a range of enhancements that focus on technology, styling and the chassis. The Turbo S model could also include the hybrid system that we already know will be fitted to the base 911 Carrera model.
As already confirmed by Porsche’s chief executive Oliver Blume, the upcoming 992.2 generation 911 Carrera will introduce a brand new hybrid system designed to enhance performance as much as efficiency.
Rather than being a heavy plug-in system, the new 911’s hybrid tech is expected to be a more streamlined affair, utilising a small electric motor mounted within the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. This, in turn, will draw power from a compact battery pack.
Porsche has been working on a hybrid drivetrain module for some time, previewing the technology as far back as 2010 in the GT3 R Hybrid. In the case of the new 992.2, it’ll be designed chiefly to improve engine response and performance, yet should still offer improvements in efficiency.
The hybrid setup’s use in the next Turbo or Turbo S would put it right at the pinnacle of Porsche’s non GT-developed 911 range, giving the Turbo’s larger twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six engine even more performance than the current, and already wickedly fast, 478kW Turbo S.
The 992.2 update will also incorporate changes to the exterior styling, focused around the rear end. A new set of LED rear lights incorporating a thinner light bar and larger indicator strips are set to feature. As with all 992.2 prototypes, the outer edge of the rear lights remains concealed, most likely to hide another design change. This prototype also features new exhaust pipe finishers that sit alongside a reprofiled rear bumper.
The rest of the exterior design is unchanged, including the existing front bumper design with its twin-bar LED running lights and movable vanes to control airflow entering the front-mounted radiators.
More changes are expected inside the cabin, where along with other 992.2 911 models, the Turbo is expected to adopt a Taycan-like curved driver display, replacing the current analogue rev-counter and its flanking screens. The centre touchscreen will also pick up Porsche’s latest user interface software, but the general interior design will be largely familiar.
It’s the 911 Turbo’s technical changes that could be the biggest change when it’s eventually revealed. The new 992.2 Carrera will give us an insight into what we can expect before the flagship cars arrive a few months later.