Like most cars, the Porsche 911 has slowly grown in size over the years and the vice-president of the 911 and 718 model lines, Frank-Steffen Walliser, says he would like to see the iconic sports car become smaller.
While speaking with Go Auto ahead of the global debut of the new 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S models, Walliser said the 911 could be even sportier than the current 992 model.
“Maybe I would do it a little more sporty than the 992 in general, but I have no complaints of this model,” he said. “If I had a wish, for sure I would make it smaller, but this is a wish,” Walliser added.
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Despite Walliser’s wish, it seems unlikely we will see the 911 shrink in size anytime soon, as making it too small could impede on sales of the Porsche Cayman and Boxster. Many consumers also love the 911 not just because of its sporty prowess but the fact that it doubles as a good GT car and is fairly practical.
Speaking more broadly about the future of Porsche’s most iconic model, Walliser said that with the implementation of Euro 7 emissions regulations in 2026, many car manufacturers will be able to increase the displacement of their engines and the current downsizing trend could end. This could secure the future of six-cylinder 911 models for quite some time.
“EU7 means we will see a big change then again because it means for everybody new engines and we will see bigger displacements coming back,” Kalliser said. “A lot of manufacturers will jump from four to six (cylinders), from six to eight maybe again. That means all new engines and especially for the 911, this gets really, really difficult, but we will never give up. We want to keep six cylinders for sure, but we will have to make a new engine,” the exec added.