Porsche 911 hybrid confirmed for 2024 debut

The Porsche 911 hybrid has been confirmed for a debut later this year, and this powertrain upgrade for the iconic 911 line-up is a part of a major model update that's been two years in the making.

1. Four new Porsche unveils in 2024
2. Porsche 911 992.2-gen to get styling tweaks as well
3. Porsche 911 has been in production for six decades now

Porsche 992.2-gen 911 coming this year

The ‘992.2’-generation Porsche 911 receives a host of mid-life revisions, including subtly altered exterior styling, a reworked interior and updated six-cylinder petrol engines. It is one of four new Porsche models arriving in 2024 – one of the German marque's busiest years on record for new launches – alongside the new Panamera, Taycan and electric Macan.

The changes are intended to sustain the 911’s appeal through to 2027, when an all-new ninth-generation model will join the increasingly electrified Porsche line-up.

Porsche 992.2-gen 911 powertrain

The most significant change to the 911 in its sixth decade of production is the adoption of a unique petrol-electric hybrid system. Set to appear in a new four-wheel-drive model being revealed in the summer, it combines a tuned version of Porsche’s turbocharged six-cylinder engine with a specially designed electric motor housed within the front axle. The petrol engine provides drive to the rear wheels, while the electric motor drives the front wheels. A 48V integrated starter motor in the dual-clutch automatic gearbox will provide an electric boost and power ancillary components.

The new 400V system is claimed to generate its own energy reserves using the engine as a generator – in a function similar to that of a range-extender drivetrain – as well as via brake regeneration, negating the need for external charging.

Electric energy is stored in a specially developed lightweight lithium-ion battery. With an energy capacity well below the batteries used by Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG in their plug-in performance models, it has been configured specifically for rapid energy charge and discharge properties.

Secrecy surrounds the output of the new hybrid drivetrain, though Porsche is eventually expected to offer the new petrol-electric unit in a range of different performance levels. Both Turbo-E Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid models have been mooted for introduction in line with the Cayenne and Panamera line-ups.

Before the eighth-generation 911 bows out later this decade, Porsche is also set to launch an 800hp-plus hybrid successor to the fearsome GT2 RS. A fully electric 911 is not immediately planned, and Porsche instead envisages them progressing into the future with electrified combustion engines in combination with new e-fuel derivatives to provide net-zero emissions.

Porsche 911 992.2: what else will be new? 

Apart from the powertrain, the changes on the facelift include:

Enhanced cooling: To boost cooling for the front-mounted radiators and brakes, Porsche has given the new front bumper distinctive air ducts that house five vertical louvres on each side, in place of the three horizontal louvres of the existing model. It is most likely that they will incorporate some sort of active operation to better balance cooling and aerodynamic drag. There is also a larger central air duct book-ended by additional cooling channels on either side.

Revised headlamps: Instead of being housed within the top section of the bumper insert, the indicators are now integrated into the revised headlight assemblies that feature a new graphic design. As with the units used by the facelifted Cayenne, the new headlights are expected to offer HD matrix LED functionality with more than 32,000 pixels per unit and the capability of lighting up to 600 metres ahead.

Restyled rear end: The updated 911 receives new-look brake lights integrated into the top of a restyled rear bumper, and it also features inboard-mounted tailpipes within a revised diffuser.

Interior upgrades: The changes to the interior of the new 911 are more subtle. Prototypes use the existing dashboard architecture and other features, suggesting that most tweaks will involve software upgrades. Among the expected developments are new digital instrument graphics and the latest Porsche Communication Management system for infotainment functions.

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