The next-gen Porsche 911, due to be launched about four to five years from now, will most likely be available as a plug-in hybrid, according to sources familiar with the project. Internally called the 992, the fully redesigned model will be powered by turbocharged flat-six engines; four-cylinder models are possible, but an unlikely option.

The plug-in hybrid will draw from technologies developed for other Porsche models, such as the next-generation Panamera. It will allow Porsche to cut fuel consumption and emissions dramatically—maybe not so much in real life, but in the European emissions testing that favors electrified vehicles. The 992 will keep its unique rear-engine layout, which creates challenges in vehicle dynamics, but allows for a rear-seat compartment, and is demanded by 911 purists.

Porsche

While work on the 992 is still in its early stages, today's 911 (known as the 991) is set to receive a facelift later this year. It will lose the naturally aspirated flat-six currently offered in the Carrera and Carrera S, to be replaced by turbocharged flat-six engines. The seven-speed manual transmission will continue to be offered on those entry-level models, but more powerful versions stay with the seven-speed PDK dual-cutch automatic.

The decision to abort the manual box on the GT3 was controversial, but for the time being, the automatic is all you get on the GT3 and its derivatives. The manual-equipped Cayman GT4, however, proves there is a learning process going on at Porsche. If a manual ever does return to the faster 911 models, we have a request: Go back to six speeds.

Stylistically, changes to the second phase of the 991—the many variants of which will be launched sequentially, not all at once—are understood to be mild. They pertain to the rear end mostly, which has to be modified for the new turbos' specific cooling needs.

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