Porsche is preparing to launch a mid-cycle update for the current 992-generation 911 family, and a prototype for the updated 911 Turbo S Cabriolet has been spotted testing at the Nürburgring.
The prototype in the latest video from Car Spy Media sports the yellow warning stickers that are required for electrified vehicles testing at the German racetrack, pointing to the prototype packing the hybrid powertrain that’s thought to be coming to certain variants in the updated 911 range.
The updated range, referred to internally as the 992.2 generation, should start arriving for the 2024 or 2025 model year, and the Turbo and Turbo S are thought to be among the first variants to arrive.
Judging by the latest prototype and similar test vehicles for the coupe, the updated 911 Turbo S will feature some styling tweaks. The prototypes reveal new designs for the taillights and exhaust tips. The front fascia is also expected to be updated, and new internals for the headlights with brighter, more precise light beams are planned.
For the interior, there will be a fully digital instrument cluster replacing the current unit which still contains an analog tachometer, similar to what’s found in the Taycan and updated 2024 Cayenne.
Porsche is quiet on what exactly is planned for the powertrains in the updated 911 range. However, CEO Oliver Blume said last year that an electrified 911 is coming. He said it will be a hybrid along the lines of the former 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car, and not a plug-in hybrid like the 918 Spyder hypercar. This 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.
According to our source, the Turbo S hybrid will use a 400-volt electrical system instead of an 800-volt system like the Taycan. The higher voltage system is better suited to rapid charging, which isn’t necessary for a hybrid whose battery is much smaller than an EV’s battery.
2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet
Expect the electric motor to be integrated with the transmission. Former 911 chief August Achleitner told Motor Authority in a 2019 interview that the 911’s 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the same unit used in hybrid versions of the Panamera.
Combined peak power should be higher than the 640 hp of the current Turbo S.
Also out testing are updated versions of the Carrera, Carrera GTS, Targa, Turbo, GT3, and GT3 Touring.
