The Porsche 911, the sports car the Stuttgart automaker planned to kill off in 1980, is alive and kicking 44 years later, and it’s doing it with the help of hybrid assistance for the first time. Porsche has revealed the facelifted 911’s 2025 lineup and the headline act is an electrically boosted Carrera GTS that’s bordering on supercar-quick. But like most supercars, it’s not available with a manual transmission. In fact, you can’t buy any new 911 with a manual shifter for the 2025MY, but don’t worry, Porsche hasn’t completely abandoned enthusiasts. The stick option should return for 2026 to give the new 992.2-code car another injection of publicity once this first wave of excitement has begun to wane.

But back to the GTS. For 2024 it was simply a slightly more powerful, more hardcore Carrera S and relied on a mildly uprated version of that car’s 3.0-liter, twin-turbo motor. But this time it gets its own unique bumper treatment with distinctive, vertically-mounted active flaps and a bespoke T-Hybrid version of the flat-six that’s been opened out to 3.6 liters and adds US$ 14k to the previously US$ 150,900 sticker. Considering the extra cubes, the engine’s on-paper benefits look meager: a 485 PS output that’s only 3 hp higher than before and an identical 570 Nm torque rating. But on the road, the new GTS should feel night and day different.

 

For a start, it ditches the old twin-turbo setup for a single wastegate-free turbo that can be spun electronically to eliminate lag and also uses energy from exhaust gases to charge a 1.9 kWh, 400-volt battery located in the frunk. That battery in turn powers a single electric motor stashed in the compulsory eight-speed PDK transmission. It pushes out 54 hp and 149 Nm of torque, helping the GTS’s powertrain achieve a total system output of 532 hp and 609 Nm. Forget comparisons with last year’s model, the new GTS is getting on for 911 Turbo-levels of power, and it’s not far behind on acceleration, either. The US$ 164,900 2025 GTS gets to 97 km/h in 2.9 seconds, versus 3.2 seconds for the outgoing, 47 kg lighter non-hybrid 2024 GTS, and 2.7 seconds for the base 572 hp, US$ 197,200 Turbo.

But the Turbo is all-wheel drive and Porsche’s GTS figures refer to the rear-wheel drive version. Porsche isn’t saying how much quicker the US$ 172,700 all-paw GTS is than the RWD car, but the 0.2-second difference between the 2024 MY GTS and GTS 4 suggests 911 Turbo drivers should think twice before taking one on from a stoplight, unless their Main Street is an Autobahn. The new GTS tops out at 312 km/h, while the Turbo pushes on to 320 km/h. We already knew that the first hybrid 911 wouldn’t be a plug-in, a decision Porsche said it took to keep the weight gain to a minimum. But it’s still a surprise to learn that the GTS can’t even crawl through traffic snarl-ups on electric power alone like the Corvette E-Ray (another non-plug-in hybrid) can. That might disappoint Greenpeace members, but it could help win over Porsche fans who are skeptical about their favorite sports car adopting hybrid tech because it means that there’ll always be flat-six music playing. GTS cars come standard with a sports exhaust featuring two close-set tailpipes and rear-axle steering, two components that are optional on lesser models, plus 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels. PASM adaptive dampers and a 10 mm ride height drop versus the Carrera are also part of the package and can be complemented with a Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) suspension system with electro-hydraulic roll control. The 572-hp 911 Turbo, 640-hp Turbo S, and 518-hp GT3 RS are carried over unchanged from 2024, meaning they’ll have to wait a while to get the visual and tech upgrades fitted to the GTS and the base Carrera, the only other 911 model available for 2025.

 

As in 2024, the Carrera comes only with a PDK dual-clutch transmission, and it hasn’t undergone anything like as dramatic a transformation as the GTS. There’s no hybrid power pack and no electric turbo, but pinching the two turbos from last year’s GTS helps lift power from 379 hp to 388 hp while leaving the 450 Nm torque peak unchanged. Performance improvements are negligible: zero to 60 mph takes 3.9 seconds, or 3.7 seconds if you’ve optioned the Sport Chrono pack which adds launch control, those numbers only a tenth better than before. And the top speed climbs by 1 mph to 295 km/h. The price is up, though. It jumps from US$ 114,400 to US$ 120,100. The Carrera S takes a sabbatical during 2025, but we’re expecting it to return in 2026, and bring a manual transmission option back to the 911 lineup. Reports that accurately predicted the changes to the Carrera suggest it will get a similar non-hybrid upgrade that will lift its output from 443 hp to around 454 hp. Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa versions of the new Carrera and GTS are available from launch, but we can expect Porsche to extend the range with updated T, Turbo, and GT3 models over the next three years, plus some special models similar to last year’s 911 S/T to satisfy the wealthiest brand fans. The GTS’s active air flaps, which close to improve aerodynamics or open to give the front radiators a hit of cold air during track use, and work together with underbody diffusers, mean you’ll have no trouble identifying it. But other changes will help you spot the 2025 MY version of both the GTS and Carrera.

Both come with Porsche’s four-point LED Matrix headlights that bundle all lighting duties into the lamp units and get rid of the separate turn signals and DRLS. There’s also a new rear decklid grille with five vertical strakes on each side, and the word Porsche below is now illuminated and incorporated into the transverse light bar connecting the taillights. Carreras come with 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels as standard but can be optioned with 20/21s, including 911 Carrera Exclusive Design wheels whose carbon fiber aeroblades can reduce the drag at speed and will draw a crowd when parked. Both Carrera and GTS buyers have the chance to add an Aerokit consisting of a Porsche SportDesign front lip spoiler, side skirts, and a fixed rear wing. If there’s one thing about the new 911 guaranteed to send hardcore Porsche fans into a rage, it’s the way you start it. You still do it by reaching a hand to the door side of the steering wheel, a hangover from Porsche’s early racing days when it allowed drivers to simultaneously crank the engine and engage a gear, but instead of a twistable simulated key, the 2025 gets a starter button, much like on the Taycan. And here’s another major break with tradition: all 911 coupe models now come standard with just two seats, a configuration previously reserved for driver-focused models like the lightweight T (which skips 2025) GTS coupe, GT2, GT3, and Turbos with the Lightweight Package. But if you’re determined to subject your friends to the torture of traveling in the back of a 911, you can select a 2+2 package at no extra cost, and Targas and Cabriolets always come with rear belts.

 

The 911 also gets a fully digital 12.6-inch digital instrument display for the first time offering up to seven different display styles, though naturally, one features the iconic five-gauge setup with central tacho that’s been a cornerstone of the driving experience for almost 60 years.  The cluster can even show Apple CarPlay material accessed via Siri voice commands, and other tech upgrades include a video streaming function for the 10.9-inch infotainment display when the car is parked, a cooled smartphone charger, and the ability to use apps like Spotify and Apple Music without connecting a phone.

Porsche is taking orders now for the new 911 range in Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa form, but while Carrera deliveries will start this fall, the GTS won’t hit dealerships until the back end of the year. For the 2025MY, the starting price for the base Carrera has climbed to US$ 120,100, marking an increase of around US$ 6k. Meanwhile, the GTS variant sees a substantial jump of over US$ 14k, now priced at US$ 164,900