As it is always the case with the Porsche 911, the next generation is more of an evolution rather than a revolution as far as sports cars are concerned. Inspired by the last air-cooled 911, the 992 will be revealed by the end of the year.
Coming to the United States for the 2020 model year, the 993-inspired newcomer has been captured on camera on the Nurburgring. As you can tell from the sound of the tires and the little to no body roll at all in the corners, the 992 is the real deal for the driving-centric customer.
Raising the bar once again, the 911 features a rear spoiler located right above the width-long light bar. At speed, it goes up in order to provide additional downforce. In addition to aerodynamic trickery, the 992 also happens to be lighter than the 991.2 thanks to more aluminum content.
More changes are hidden under the skin, especially in the engine bay. The 3.0-liter boxer now comes with an integrated starter-generator system, translating to at least 20 horsepower in addition to the suck-squeeze-bang-blow of those horizontally-opposed cylinders.
A plug-in hybrid will arrive “around 2023” according to chief executive officer Oliver Blume. In this configuration, the 992 is expected to feature an electric motor and a 10.8-kWh lithium-ion battery. Because of the powertrain’s complexity, the plug-in hybrid could become the heaviest 911 in history.
Regarding the Turbo S, we’re expecting the range-topping 911 to be rated in the ballpark of 700 horsepower. As ever, the manual gearbox will be joined by a quick-shifting dual-clutch transmission.
Scheduled to premiere at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the MMB vehicle architecture-based 992 family will kick off with the Carrera and Carrera S. The instrument cluster of the Neunelfer is also confirmed to go digital, whereas the taillights are understood to rely on OLED technology.
Even though it’s too soon to talk about pricing, the 911 Carrera will start at under $100,000 in the United States. The 2019 model year, for reference, retails from $91,100.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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