Porsche engineers are out testing prototypes for an updated 911 range, and the latest test vehicle has shed almost all of the camouflage gear seen earlier.
Previously we brought you spy shots of prototypes for the updated 911 Turbo, 911 Turbo S, and 911 Carrera Cabriolet. Our latest shots show the updated 911 Carrera coupe, both as standard and with an available Aerokit (identified by the fixed rear wing).
The current 992-generation 911 arrived in 2019 as a 2020 model, initially in Carrera and Turbo guises. This updated 911, known internally as the 992.2, should arrive for the 2025 model year. It debuts early this summer, and will include a hybrid system on some grades.
Tweaks to the styling are mild, as the prototype reveals a new front fascia design sporting larger intakes with vertical flaps that are likely active. There are also new internals for the headlights that promise brighter beams, and the turn signals are now integrated with the headlights, instead of residing on the front fascia like on the current design. Moving to the rear, the taillights have a new design with double bars. We also notice a new rear diffuser design.
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera facelift spy shots - Photo credit: Baldauf
Interior shots reveal a revised dash design. Porsche plans to add a bigger infotainment screen and a new gauge cluster that will be fully digital, like in the Taycan. The current design sticks with an analog gauge for the center-mounted tachometer. It seems there won't be a redesign for the dual-clutch automatic's current gear lever that resembles an electric shaver.
For the powertrains, rumors point to a new engine possibly being 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, Porsche's chief engineer for the 911, said in a 2020 interview that new emissions regulations planned for Europe around the middle of the decade will see bigger engines return in favor of downsized units. The new rules are apparently aimed at matching lab-tested fuel economy with real-world figures.
As for the hybrid system, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume in 2022 said it 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 gas engine and recover energy under braking.
