2025 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet tests hybrid powertrain
As Porsche prepares to unveil a mid-cycle update to the current 992-generation 911 family, a prototype of the updated 911 Turbo S Cabriolet has been spotted testing on the Nürburgring and the roads surrounding the German race track.
Fresh photos and an earlier spy video show the prototype with the yellow warning sticker required for electrified test vehicles in certain countries, suggesting that the prototype has a hybrid powertrain. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has said that the hybrid 911 will be available in 2022, and in a speech just last month he said that its debut would be this summer.
Judging from the latest prototype and a similar test vehicle in the coupe, the updated 911 Turbo S Cabriolet will feature some styling tweaks. The prototype reveals new designs for the taillights and exhaust tips. The front mask also features a new intake design with vertical slats instead of the current horizontal design. Inside the headlights are the latest matrix LED technology that can provide a brighter and more accurate light beam.
Inside, a fully digital instrument cluster replaces the current unit with an analog tachometer similar to the one first used by Porsche on the Taycan. The full-digital instrument cluster is gradually being expanded to more models, including the updated 2024 Cayenne and the new 2024 Macan EV.
Porsche has remained silent on any specific plans for the powertrains of the updated 911 series. However, Blume has stated that the hybrid system will be along the lines of the former 919 Hybrid LMP1 racing car and will not be a plug-in hybrid like the hypercar 918 Spyder. In other words, there will be no plugs, and the electric motor-generator will be used purely to support the internal combustion engine and recover energy during braking.
According to sources, the Turbo S Hybrid will use a 400-volt electrical system, rather than an 800-volt system like the Taycan. Higher voltage systems are better suited for fast charging, which is not necessary for hybrids whose batteries are much smaller than those of EVs.
The electric motor could be integrated with the transmission. Former 911 chief August Achleitner told Motor Authority in a 2019 interview that the 911's eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the same unit used in the hybrid version of the Panamera.
The combine's peak power should be higher than the 640 hp of the current Turbo S.
A facelifted version of the regular 911 Turbo is also in testing. Rumor has it that this model skips hybrid technology for now.
The updated 911 Turbo S is expected to go on sale late this year or early next year. This model should appear roughly parallel to the facelifted 911 Carrera, which is also expected to offer a hybrid option. Updated versions of the Carrera GTS, Targa, GT3, and GT3 Touring are also being tested.
