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Porsche Confirms Turbo Engines for 911 Range, Hybrid 911 Coming by 2020

You’d better take a good look at the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS that debuted in Detroit last week, since we won’t be getting too much of Zuffenhausen’s naturally-aspirated game in the future.
Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS 1 photo
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Porsche also used NAIAS to confirm what the rumor mill had hinted last year, telling Top Gear that the majority of the 911 models will switch to turbocharging. Uber-special models such as the GT3 will remain naturally-aspirated, but your everyday flavors will be forced fed.

“You have to respect legal requirements [for lower CO2], so yes we're thinking turbos for standard 911s. You can't afford to keep an engine for 10 years any more,” Porsche’s head of engineering, Wolfgang Hatz, told the aforementioned source.

As for exactly the twin-turbo heart transplant means for the Neunelfer, Hatz went on to explain the development will be based on the upcoming 911 GT3 RS’ 4.0-liter flat six. The epitome of the track-focused, naturally-aspirated 911 is set to bow later in the year and its powerplant will be closer to an all-new development than to an 0.2-liter addition to the current 3.8-liter mill.

The unit will gain a pair of turbos for the mainstream 911s, if we can call them that. While the GT3 RS will travel north of 500 hp, the forced-fed job will bring less power, but there will be plenty of torque on tap.

The German automaker is also working on a turbocharged flat four, based on the architecture of the turbo six. Fortunately, this will be confined to the Boxster and Cayman, leaving the 911 a six-cylinder boxer effort.

What else?

Hatz also talked electrification, mentioning this is the next big step that’s set to be made by the end of the decade and confirming that the 911 will get a hybrid setup. Porsche has been racing hybrid 911s for a few years now, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Still, 918 Spyder aside, Porsche’s current hybrid models, namely the Cayenne and the Panamera, are limited. While they are in their second-generation, which has seen them move from hybrid to plug-in hybrid powertrains, these still lack Porsche-specific systems such as torque vectoring. Still, expect this to change by the time the petrol-electric 911 hits the market.

Speaking of new engines, Porsche is preparing to retire the current 4.8-liter V8 on the Panamera and Cayenne. Truth be told, Porsche has kind of lost its V8 edge (AMG thoughts anybody?) so we’re all to eager to meet their new effort.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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