Facelifted 911, codenamed 992.2, gains mild- and full hybrid powertrains, a digital dashboard and is on sale this year
May 26, 2024 at 19:38
- Porsche confirms new 2025 MY 911 has a “performance hybrid” powertrain.
- 911 Hybrid with optional Aerokit package, including fixed rear wing, lapped the Nurbrurging 8.7 seconds faster than the old GTS.
- 992.2-generation coupe debuts May 28 live on Porsche’s YouTube channel.
We’re only days away from the May 28 unveiling of the 2025 Porsche 992.2, the first ever electrified 911. While the facelifted version of the 992-generation car launched in 2018 won’t look radically different on the outside, a hybrid-assisted flat-six heart will give a boost to certain models, like the new 911 Hybrid Porsche teased last week.
Though Porsche didn’t come out and explicitly say that it was the new GTS that had lapped the Nordschleife in 7:16.9 with the help of its optional Aerokit spoilers package, it confirmed it in kind. The announcement said that the 2025 car’s time represented an 8.9-second improvement over the old model’s, and we know the outgoing GTS did the job in 7:25.6. One of the teaser photos also showed ‘GTS’ stitched into the headrest of the carbon bucket seat.
More: There’s A Rumor The 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo Will Be Manual And RWD, But Does It Make Any Sense?
If it was a GTS, that means we now know that the mid-ranking 911 will set itself apart from other models via a unique front bumper design featuring a bank of vertical slats, that we assume are part of an active aero/cooling setup, as well as a pair of close-set tailpipes that appears to be a standard sports exhaust. Which must make the other, less aggressive-looking prototypes we’ve spied with horizontal intake bars and wider-set pipes, entry level Carrera or Carrera S models, though we expect them also to available with the sports pipes and the Aerokit’s big rear wing via a trip to the options list.
Intel from well-connected German journo Georg Kacher published in Car and Driver claims that the Carrera and Carrera S will only gain around 11 hp (11 PS) each, taking their 3.0-liter engines to 390 hp (395 PS) and 454 hp (460 PS). Those are modest gains and suggest they might only receive some conventional tuning upgrades, rather than the fancy hybrid tech the GTS appears to be getting.
The GTS is rumored to be ditching its 473 hp (480 PS) 3.0-liter six for a new 3.6-liter hybrid motor that Car and Driver says has been co-developed with Rimac, which Porsche part-owns. It supposedly develops as much as 89 hp (90 PS) of electric boost, and weighs less than 60 lbs (27 kg). Total system output is likely to be well in excess of 500 hp (507 PS).
Porsche hasn’t yet gone into detail about the electrically-boosted 911’s hybrid system, but we know that BorgWarner, a longtime Porsche supplier, recently launched its eTurbo system, whose turbine can be spun electrically to overcome lag before the rush of exhaust gases takes over, and also use those gases to charge either a basic 48v starter generator system, or 400v fully hybrid including an electrical motor.
Hybrid but no PHEV
None of the new electrified 911s will offer a plug-in facility, and they’re unlikely to be able to travel much more than a couple of miles on electric power alone, if Porsche even bothers at all. Intel suggests the battery is a tiny 2.0 kWh pack and, for reference, the Corvette E-Ray‘s engineers talk of 3-4 miles (5-7 km) of gas-free driving being possible with their car’s 1.9 kWh battery.
But creating a part-time EV was never in Porsche’s plans, which instead focuses on using the hybrid system to add power while cutting emissions. And by eliminating the delay between your right foot asking for power and the current turbocharged engines delivering it, the hybrid equipment ought to inject some spark into the driving experience.
“We have more grip, significantly more power, and the spontaneous response of the performance hybrid is a great advantage,” Porsche test driver Jörg Bergmeister said of the GTS after the recent round of hot laps at the Ring.
If there’s a downside, it’s that the hybrids are though to be PDK-only, due to the complexity of their electrified powertrains, so anyone wanting a manual might have to settle on one of the slower, less expensive 911 variants such as the Carrera T and Carrera S. Or open their wallet wider and wait for the next GT3 (production of the current non-RS GT3 has already finished, and the RS comes exclusively with PDK).
Phew! Next GT3 says nein, danke to turbocharging
The replacement for today’s 4.0-liter GT3 will arrive in 2026 for the 2027 MY, apparently again with naturally aspirated power. But this time it’ll be downsized to 3.6 liters and fitted with mild-hybrid gear, Car Magazine claims, while the GT2 RS is believed to get a full hybrid powertrain pumping out well over 700 hp (710 PS).
Porsche hasn’t expended all of its energy on under-hood changes for the 911. The icon enters its 60th year (the original entered production in September 1964) with the same basic body and structure as the 992 launched in 2018, but with the addition of Porsche’s new LED headlights that can see up to 600 m (1,970 ft) ahead, and an illuminated rear nameplate.
It will also get a full-width digital instrument cluster already seen on its Taycan and Cayenne sister cars and pictured above on a 2027 GT3 prototype, whose 9k rpm redline confirms it’s sticking with naturally-aspirated power.
Carrera, Targa, Convertible, Turbo, GT3, GT3 RS, and GT2 models plus low-volume, high-price specials in the vein of last year’s S/T and 2023’s Sport Classic will be dripped out over the next few years before Porsche launches an all-new 911, reported to be codenamed 994. But even that won’t go fully electric, reports say. While the Boxster and Cayman both turn into EVs later this year, it’ll be the 2030s before the 911 ditches combustion power.
When will it debut?
The world premiere of there 2025 Porsche 911 will be broadcast at 09.00 EST on Porsche’s YouTube channel, and you’ll also be able to catch it here at Carscoops.