Only the gigantic tachometer will have a needle.
There are no cliche auto-reviewer stories of speedometer needles whizzing around gauges. New spy photos have shown that the Porsche 911 will soon be updated to include a digital full-color instrument cluster. Only the massive, centrally mounted tachometer will be kept as a physical gauge.
These photos show that the 911 retains the same gauge arrangement as current cars but has the all-digital, reconfigurable, circular screens that were used on the Cayenne and Panamera. The 911 uses the same physical moving needles as the speedometer, fuel gauge and other temperature gauges. However, the new model has a configurable color trip computer in one its five binnacles. Below, you can compare the new-style gauges with the spied ones.
Many other automakers have also dropped traditional moving needles from their car’s instrument clusters. The company’s Virtual Cockpit technology is available on most new Audi models, and some Mercedes-Benz models and BMW models now feature digital displays. The McLaren, another performance car that uses a screen instead of needles to measure its performance, is just one example.
Porsche will be able to provide more information to 911 drivers with the new gauges. The full-color gauges in the Cayenne or Panamera can show information on active safety features like the InnoDrive adaptive Cruise Control or plug-in hybrid powertrains. However, we don’t yet know if and when these will be available to 911 drivers.
The spy photos show what the exterior of the Porsche 911, which will be codenamed 992, might look like. We have seen coupe as well as Cabriolet prototypes in testing. These spy photos are difficult to predict the future of the 911. Keep checking back as spy photos and leaks are likely to reveal more information about the future of the 911 in the years ahead. The 991 generation of 911 was presented to the public at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a new model within the next year.