The current 992-generation Porsche 911 is about to come in for its mid-cycle update and a prototype for the updated Carrera Cabriolet has just been spotted.
Also out testing are updated versions of the Carrera, Carrera GTS, Targa, GT3, Turbo, and Turbo S.
The prototype for the Carrera Cabriolet shows new front intakes, new internals for the headlights, and a revised taillight design.
We also notice a new rear diffuser design, as well as exhaust tips mounted closer to the center. The movement of the exhaust tips backs rumors that a new engine might be introduced with this update, specifically a bigger, naturally aspirated unit like Porsche's 4.0-liter flat-6 offered in the 718 range, which starts at 394 hp. The current Carrera models come with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6 whose output starts at 379 hp.
There is some substance to the rumors. Frank-Steffen Walliser, the former chief engineer for the 911, said in a 2020 interview that new emissions regulations planned for Europe around the middle of the decade will spur bigger engines to return in favor of downsized units. The new rules are apparently aimed at matching lab-tested fuel economy with real-world figures.
Hybrid technology will also be introduced on some 911 variants with this update. Carrera prototypes have been testing with hybrid power, pointing to the technology also being offered at the entry point to the range.
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume in 2022 said the 911's hybrid system will be similar to the system in the former 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car, and not a plug-in hybrid system like in the 918 Spyder hypercar. That means there won't be a plug, and any electric motor-generator(s) will purely be used to support the internal-combustion engine and recover energy under braking.
Blume recently confirmed that the first hybrid 911 will debut this summer, and this will likely be when we see the first members of the updated 992-generation 911 range debut. They should arrive in showrooms as 2025 models in the U.S.
