The Best Porsche 911 In Today’s Lineup Will Return For The 992 Generation

And when we say 'best,' we mean the purist 911 for the money.

Porsche has become an expert in finding, developing, and ultimately building sought-after 911 variants. From the base 911 Carrera to the hardcore 911 GT2 RS, there’s literally a 911 for every budget north of the $90,000 entry price. We’re only a couple of months away from the official reveal of the next-generation 911, the 992, but Porsche is keeping its details a secret for now despite numerous spy shots and videos showing nearly camo-less 911 992s. But will Porsche continue with all of the outgoing 991’s trims or create new ones?

According to Road and Track, at least one recently launched 911 variant will return, the purist-focused 911 T. The publication spoke with 911 chief engineer August Achletiner at Porsche’ Rennsport Reunion last month and specifically asked him whether the 911 T will return.

“Absolutely,” he said. "In the last half-year, I almost only drove a Carrera T [with a] manual and I love this car," Achletiner added. "It's just pure. The only option I have beside the navigation system is a sunroof. Wonderful.” The Porsche 911 T still isn’t exactly cheap, beginning at around $100,000, but it is still a fair amount less than the GTS and GT3 Touring, for example. With its classic 911 styling, shorter gear ratios, and a more driver-focused chassis configuration, the 911 T quickly became a sales success, and it makes complete sense for Porsche to make this trim a permanent part of the future lineup. Another good sign for 911 purists is the fact that Achletiner is personally a huge fan of manual transmissions.

He told Road and Track that despite the PDK gearbox offering superior shift times, manuals are simply more fun. "I think the PDK from a technical point of view is a better solution, but it's just fun to operate the manual," he said. As long as Achletiner is running the show, it seems like the manual gearbox is safe in future 911s, despite the superiority the PDK offers. So, when exactly will the 992 generation 911 make its debut appearance? Soon, perhaps at the LA Auto Show late next month.

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Will Next Generation Porsche 718 Go All-Electric?

The electrification era has begun and it won't stop.

Consider the upcoming Porsche Taycan to be the first of many fully-electrified Porsches. According to Automotive News Europe, the German automaker is putting plans in place to switch to full-electric powertrains for its sedans and SUVs over the course of the next decade. The upcoming 992 generation of the 911 is expected to offer a plug-in hybrid variant in 2023, but its flat-six isn’t going anywhere.

But what about the 718 Boxster and Cayman? Do they even have a future considering the coupe and roadster segments are particularly challenging to make a profit from?

The answer is yes, but Porsche may be ready to do something quite drastic: an all-electric 718 lineup. Auto News Europe learned about this possibility from Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke, who stated the Taycan was “only the beginning” of electrification. Obviously that’s nothing new, but this is the first we’ve heard of the 718 ditching internal combustion. “Pilot projects that we have run since 2010 have clearly shown that pure electrification would be feasible in such a segment,” Meschke said.

Before any 718 EV arrives, Porsche will launch more mainstream EVs.

“It’s very likely that a (battery-powered) SUV will come by 2022. There is no final decision yet, but you can expect that this will be the case because we need a large-volume model that is fully electric,” Meschke further announced. “This idea will then progress further with the next generations of the Panamera and Cayenne model lines. The direction for the large four-door models will be toward full electrification.”

It’s also important to remember that Porsche acquired a 10 percent stake in Rimac last summer, thus providing access to much-needed performance and driving-focused EV technologies. It has also ended diesel models in favor of electrification. As for the 911, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has ruled out an all-electric 911, at least under his watch.

View the original article here

Will Next Generation Porsche 718 Go All-Electric?

The electrification era has begun and it won't stop.

Consider the upcoming Porsche Taycan to be the first of many fully-electrified Porsches. According to Automotive News Europe, the German automaker is putting plans in place to switch to full-electric powertrains for its sedans and SUVs over the course of the next decade. The upcoming 992 generation of the 911 is expected to offer a plug-in hybrid variant in 2023, but its flat-six isn’t going anywhere.

But what about the 718 Boxster and Cayman? Do they even have a future considering the coupe and roadster segments are particularly challenging to make a profit from?

The answer is yes, but Porsche may be ready to do something quite drastic: an all-electric 718 lineup. Auto News Europe learned about this possibility from Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke, who stated the Taycan was “only the beginning” of electrification. Obviously that’s nothing new, but this is the first we’ve heard of the 718 ditching internal combustion. “Pilot projects that we have run since 2010 have clearly shown that pure electrification would be feasible in such a segment,” Meschke said.

Before any 718 EV arrives, Porsche will launch more mainstream EVs.

“It’s very likely that a (battery-powered) SUV will come by 2022. There is no final decision yet, but you can expect that this will be the case because we need a large-volume model that is fully electric,” Meschke further announced. “This idea will then progress further with the next generations of the Panamera and Cayenne model lines. The direction for the large four-door models will be toward full electrification.”

It’s also important to remember that Porsche acquired a 10 percent stake in Rimac last summer, thus providing access to much-needed performance and driving-focused EV technologies. It has also ended diesel models in favor of electrification. As for the 911, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has ruled out an all-electric 911, at least under his watch.

View the original article here

The Next Generation Porsche 911 Will Debut Next Month In LA

It's finally time for the 992 911 to arrive.

We've been seeing spy shots of the next generation Porsche 911 for a while now, some with practically no camouflage. This indicates Porsche is very close to revealing the all-new model. According to Car And Driver, our wait for the 992 generation 911 could finally be over. The car is expected to go on sale in the summer of 2019 as a 2020 model, meaning that a full reveal is imminent. At a private event to show off the prototype, Porsche said the 2020 911 will make its debut next month at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Mark your calendars because next month is when we will finally get to see the production version of the next-generation 911, which is rumored to go by the internal code, 992. The first models to go on sale will be the 450 horsepower Carrera S and Carrera 4S coupes with the optional eight-speed PDK transmission. In the following months, Porsche will reveal the 385 hp Carrera and Carrera 4 with a PDK or seven-speed manual along with the manual versions of the Carrera S and Carrera 4S. The convertible versions should also arrive shortly after.

Porsche will also reportedly reveal the 2020 911 Turbo by the end of 2019 but little is known about this high-performance model. Sometime later, we will see GTS, Targa, and GT3 versions of the car. Porsche has already confirmed that the Carrera T will make a comeback for the 992 generation but it may not arrive until later in the car's lifecycle. Pricing and other information isn't available yet but should be released at the LA Auto Show.

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