Motor Trend put together a list of future vehicles to come out of Stuttgart over the next few years and although most of the vehicles listed have either already debuted (Targa, GT3 RS) or are common knowledge among devout readers of Autoblog (GT2, Panamera, 928), the article contained a few minor revelations, in the form of new models and technological hurdles.
Naturally, the first order of business is the new variant of the 911, predictably dubbed the 998, which has hit the displacement equivalent of a brick wall. Porsche’s engineers have found that the flat-six engine is ill equipped to manage more than 4-liters of displacement and in an effort to achieve the expected increases in performance, the 998 will focus more on weight-saving materials, such as aluminum and will come equipped with a DSG transmission to shave those valuable tenths.
Motor Trend also reports on the development of a small SUV to slot in underneath the Cayenne, which will be based off of Audi’s new Q5. The new ‘ute will have more performance potential than its Germanic sibling and is expected to come in a three-door body style. The comparisons to Porsche’s foray into the Dakar Rally are inevitable, so this new vehicle will have massive shoes to fill if it ever sees the light of day.
Other models worthy of note include a Cayman RS, which will serve as a stripped down model of Porsche’s mid-engine masterpiece, although power upgrades from the factory will be minimal as to avoid competition with the Cayman’s rear-engine big brother. The new Carrera GT is also on the drawing board, but Motor Trend cites insiders as saying that the new mid-engine, V10 super car won’t make it to production until after this decade. [Motor Trend]