The next generation Porsche 911 hits the test track and we have spy footage to prove it
Coming up with a replacement of the current Porsche 911 is no mean feat. But replace it Porsche must, and here we have the very first shots of a prototypeundergoing cold-climate tests in northern Scandinavia, the best possible location for such trials.
Although the current 991 generation received a batch of ‘991.2’ updates in 2015, including a new family of turbocharged engines, it was originally launched back in 2011 – so it’s no longer in its first flush of youth.
The upcoming eighth-generation 911 will be built around a new modular platform and feature a wider range of powertrains – expected to include, for the first time, a hybrid set-up. While Porsche is working on a pure-electric production version Mission E for a 2020 debut, other cars in its range – such as the new Panamera (which we test-drove in Poland las year) and this all-new Porsche 911 – will supplement their engines with electric power to boost both performance and efficiency. Porsche's chairman Oliver Blume recently said that the 911 is a likely candidate for hybrid power too.
“For the simple reason that electrification still carries a substantial weight penalty, sports cars will hold on to classic propulsion solutions a little longer than other vehicle types. But even the 911 must eventually adjust, and according to analysts and the media, even plug-in supercars are making headway!”, explains Blume
That won't spell an end to traditional-style 911s, though. The 911's idiosyncratic character will be preserved all the more carefully: “Porsche needs to launchpuristic racing cars like 911 – we will go to both strategies, new and old”, Blume said. So, don't be surprised to see naturally aspirated, manual gearbox models like the current 911R to keep a place in the next-generation 911 family.