The Carrera S Gets Its Stick Back
Porsche is bringing back the joy of three pedals for Porsche 911 fans. The updated 992.2 Carrera S is finally getting a manual gearbox, slotting in between the manual Carrera T and the GT3. This wasn’t even in Porsche’s original playbook for the refreshed 911, which makes the move all the more interesting.
But it turns out, customers made enough noise to change Porsche’s mind. According to Porsche North America CEO Timo Resch, the company listened to feedback from its dealer network and used that groundswell of demand to justify bringing the stick shift back.
So, if Porsche is willing to give another 911 a manual, does that mean the new T-Hybrid models could get one too?
Porsche
Not for Hybrid 911s Yet
For now, the answer is a hard no. When Road & Track pressed Resch about pairing a manual with Porsche’s hybrid 911, he made it clear: the current tech just doesn’t play nice with the manual setup from the Carrera S.
“So, the technology setup that we have in place right now, and a manual transmission, like you see in the Carrera S as the MT package, they are not compatible,” Resch told the publication. “But at the same time, it’s great to have an engineering team in Weissach that never stops thinking, and has a lot of great ideas. So I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they come up with a solution, but it probably will not be a combination that you see here of a manual transmission.”
The main issue? It’s all in the packaging. The 911’s hybrid setup tucks an electric motor right into the PDK transmission, which means the whole architecture is totally different from the manual cars. As the publication pointed out, the Carrera GTS’s T-Hybrid system hides its electric motor inside the PDK gearbox.
But as Resch said, it wouldn’t be a shock if Porsche engineers eventually figure out how to blend electrification with a manual gearbox. That means the door’s still open, even if a hybrid stick-shift 911 isn’t on the radar just yet.
Porsche
Porsche Wants to Keep the Manual Around
There’s a solid reason for Porsche to keep looking for ways to introduce MTs. North American buyers are still putting their money down for manual 911s. Resch says over half of GT3 buyers go for the manual, and that number jumps to about 80% for the GT3 Touring.
Sure, those numbers come from the most hardcore end of the 911 lineup, but they prove the three-pedal crowd is still out there. The Carrera S could be the perfect test to see if that demand stretches beyond the purists.
More importantly, Porsche isn’t ready to give up on the manual just yet. Resch said Porsche will keep offering stick shifts “as long as we are legally allowed to, and as long as there’s customer demand.” He even thinks demand will stick around well into the next decade.
A manual T-Hybrid 911 isn’t in the cards with today’s tech, sure. But with Porsche actually listening to its fans, it’s way too early to call it impossible.
Porsche
