Generally speaking, cars get bigger when they’re redesigned. Rarely do you see a car get smaller, and in a mainstream crossover, that’s understandable. When it comes to sports cars, however, more size usually means more weight, and that extra weight can negatively impact performance. If you’re annoyed by how big the Porsche 911 has gotten, rest assured that you’re not alone. In fact, Porsche’s chief design officer Michael Mauer agrees, reports Drive in Australia.
In a recent interview with reporters, Mauer said, “Personally, I would love to [create a smaller sports car]to see what the possibilities are in terms of packaging. And ultimately to come to an even more compact car, or [to] “Stop this growth.”
Mauer reportedly added that people are generally bigger than they were 50 years ago, forcing automakers to build bigger cars. And it’s not like people who don’t need the extra space are going to complain about it. So it’s a challenge to stay true to your brand identity while keeping your customers happy. According to Mauer, there are other factors to consider:
It is also strongly driven by [government regulations] and the [car’s] performance. When you go back 20, 30 years ago, how much horsepower the 911 had and how much it has now, that drives the size of the wheels, the size of the brakes, all that stuff. And that’s quite a challenge. Certainly for me, because I believe that a 911 sports car should be as compact as possible. And again, I’d like to see where the boundaries are, how far we can push this to get back to a very compact small sports car.
Unfortunately, we likely won’t see Mauer’s vision for a smaller 911 until it goes fully electric, since adding hybrid components to a gasoline engine takes up space and adds weight. And even then, battery technology may not have advanced enough for Porsche to make the 911 smaller and still hit its performance and range goals. Ultimately, though, he said he thought things would change.
“I think that as soon as there are problems with coverage and infrastructure [problems] are solved, that it’s as easy to charge the car as it is to fill it up now, then we’ll see smaller batteries,” Mauer said. “And also we’ll see a development there for more efficiency in the cells and everything and the chemistry. And then we’ll definitely, or I’m convinced we’ll see smaller cars again.”
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