Porsche Designer Reveals The 911’s Biggest Flaw

The 992.2 generation of the Porsche 911 was unveiled earlier this year. While relatively compact, the rear-engined icon is much bigger than its predecessors, which hasn’t gone over well with Michael Mauer, Chief Designer at Porsche.

Mauer told Australian publication Drive that he would love to design a smaller sports car. “Personally, I would love to [create a smaller sports car], to see what the possibilities are in terms of packaging. And in the end to come to an even more compact car, or [to] stop this growth.” If it were up to him, the next 911 would be smaller than the vehicle it replaces.

There’s A Reason Cars Have Gotten Bigger

Mauer, who has been at Porsche for two decades, has overseen the design of several 911 generations, all of which have been physically bigger than the next. There are reasons for this, with Mauer noting that the average human is bigger now than they were 50 years ago. To accommodate them, cars have become much larger. This isn’t exclusive to the 911, either. The current G20 BMW 3 Series, for example, is wider, taller, and nearly as long as the E39 5 Series from just two decades ago, which many consider the 5er’s finest hour.

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Porsche’s head designer is aware of these requirements but says it is important to “find the right balance to respect and address the requirements and wishes of the customer and still, how should I say, stay true to your brand identity.” The modern-day 911 is fitted with safety equipment, luxury features, and technology that older variants weren’t burdened with, and a lot of space is taken up by safety equipment and the associated wiring harnesses.

Mauer Is Confident Cars Will Get Smaller Once Again

The latest 992.2 generation is the first 911 to incorporate hybrid technology, which makes the sports car heavier than before. While weight is always a concern with sports cars, vehicles have to grow to accommodate the features and functions that customers and/or regulations demand. Things may get worse as Porsche embraces electrification with all models, but Mauer is confident the automotive industry will return to smaller cars in the electric era.

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“But… it is still this discussion around the range and the capacity of the batteries and the infrastructure,” he said. Mauer believes that automakers will be able to fit vehicles with smaller batteries once range anxiety and charging infrastructure woes become a thing of the past. “And as well, we will see there a development for more efficiency in the cells and everything and the chemistry. And then we will see definitely, or I am convinced we will see, as well again, smaller cars,” added the designer. Solid-state battery technology could hold the key to this, but this is still a few years away and won’t reach mainstream cars anytime soon.

Source:
Drive