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Porsche is gearing up to launch what insiders at its Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany describe as the most extreme and technically advanced 911 yet: the fifth-generation GT2 RS.

Set to go on sale in the UK in 2026, the new range-topping 911 is being developed to stretch the limits of what’s possible in a road-legal Porsche, with a heavily re-engineered, twin-turbocharged version of the company’s signature flat-six petrol engine paired with an electric motor in a hybrid system derived from the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid.

One important goal of the hottest 911 is to restore Porsche’s supremacy at the Nürburgring, where prototypes are now lapping in anger as a full unveiling approaches.

New spy shots confirm the forthcoming 911 GT2 RS will be as visually aggressive as it is technically ambitious. Except for the doors, every body panel is unique to the car.

Up front, a new bumper and clamshell-style bonnet incorporate additional air ducts to improve cooling for the front-mounted radiators and reduce turbulence within the front wheel arches. Those wheel arches are significantly wider than on other 911s, housing broader tracks front and rear and lightweight centre-lock wheels. At the back, a massive fixed wing dominates but a largely hidden exhaust system is also visible.

Patent filings suggest Porsche has developed a new exhaust set-up for performance versions of the 911 that doubles as an aerodynamic device, combining the rear silencer and diffuser into a single integrated unit. Whether it makes it into the production on the 911 GT2 remains to be seen.

Inside, the new 911 GT2 is expected to adopt a fully digital instrument panel for the first time while still offering a high degree of personalisation for track-focused buyers. Lightweight materials, limited sound insulation, minimalist trim and an optional roll cage will keep the focus on performance.

According to Autocar sources, early prototype versions of the 911 GT2 RS’s engine achieved four-figure outputs on the test bench – albeit in development trim.

The strongest indication of Porsche’s hybrid direction comes from the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid, which combines a 3.6-litre flat six with a single electric turbocharger and a gearbox-mounted electric motor for a total of 534bhp. That car effectively previews the hybrid technology that will be deployed across the facelifted 992-series 911 line-up, including the upcoming 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S. The 911 GT2 and even more extreme 911 GT2 RS will use a similar formula, but with an even greater output.

The exact capacity of the 911 GT2 RS’s engine remains under wraps, though it is claimed to be paired with a hybrid system incorporating two electric turbochargers and a higher-output electric motor than that used by the 911 GTS T-Hybrid. Power output is expected to reach at least 750bhp, potentially more, depending on weight, cooling and thermal efficiency. Torque, meanwhile, looks set to exceed the 590lb ft of the latest 911 Turbo S.

For comparison, the previous-generation 991-series 911 GT2 RS developed 690bhp and 553lb ft from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six engine.

The switch to petrol-electric hybrid power promises to increase weight beyond the previous 911 GT2 RS’s 1470kg. The 911 GTS T-Hybrid adds around 60kg and the new 911 GT2 RS is likely to carry more still, despite forgoing plug-in charging hardware.

As with its predecessor, though, buyers are expected to be offered a Weissach performance package with Perspex windows, reduced sound insulation and other lightweight measures.

As tradition dictates, production will be limited, and Porsche has already confirmed that “low-volume, high-emotion derivatives” will continue to play a central role in the 911 line-up. Pricing is expected to exceed that of the outgoing model – which started at around £200,000 – with optional performance features such as the Weissach package pushing it even higher.

No 911 GT2 RS launch would be complete without Nürburgring ambitions. The previous generation, fettled by Manthey Racing, posted an official 6min 43sec lap time. The current Nürburgring production car record, however, is held by the Mercedes-AMG One with a time of 6min 23sec.

The reborn Freelander brand, which revives the famous nameplate for a new family of Chinese-made models, will arrive in the UK before the end of the decade – and the first will be a chunky but rakish crossover designed by JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern.

The new brand is the result of a tie-up between JLR and its long-term manufacturing partner in China, Chery, which will engineer the cars using its own electrified platforms. Announcing the Freelander’s return in June last year, JLR said the Chery collaboration creates “mutually beneficial prospects for the future”.

Production of the debut crossover model will begin in late 2026, appearing first in China before global exports begin. It will be sold initially with a plug-in hybrid powertrain but EV and range-extender (REx) versions will follow.

Although it will be built by Chery in Changshu – where the car maker already produces local-market Range Rover Evoques and Discovery Sports – the styling of the cars will be overseen by McGovern, the man behind the original Freelander designs.

Autocar understands the first model will blend the rakishness of high-riding performance coupés like the Porsche Macan with chunky off-road design cues. It is believed that the intention is to make the car stand out in an ever more crowded SUV market by using the aesthetic of an off-roader on a more streamlined shape.

By giving the car a younger, more confident silhouette, Chery can better differentiate the Freelander from JLR’s own incoming Defender Sport model (pictured below), which will shrink the blocky shape of the bigger car for a wider audience when it arrives around 2027.

The Freelander will be underpinned by Chery’s T1X platform, which is used by a range of Chery brands, including recent UK arrivals Omoda and Jaecoo (the 7 pictured below).

The platform has a variable wheelbase so can accommodate a range of cars from larger SUVs, such as the Range Rover Velar-sized Chery Tiggo 9L, to crossovers, like the Nissan Qashqai-sized Omoda 3.

JLR has yet to indicate which types of models will make up the new Freelander family. However, it has previously said the new Freelanders will be seen as “independent from both Chery’s existing portfolio and JLR’s modern luxury House of Brands”, which is made up of Defender, Discovery, Jaguar and Range Rover.

But it is known that the first Freelander will arrive initially as a plug-in hybrid. Chery offers a range of PHEV power outputs and the Freelander is likely to package the high-power system from the new Omoda 9 mid-size SUV.

That model’s Super Hybrid System uses a 143bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol and three electric motors to give a claimed combined output of 443bhp. That’s good for a 0-62mph sprint in just 4.9sec, something the all-wheel-drive Freelander is likely to improve on as Chery upgrades its combustion engines and electric motors.

A similar set-up used by the new Tiggo 9L gives the car the ability to do Mercedes G-Class-style tank turns.

Chery’s knowledge of JLR systems and its experience with its off-road-angled Jetour and iCar brands mean the Freelander is likely to have all the off-road ability you would expect of a car with a name associated with Land Rover, even if that badge will be absent.

Electric power will also feature heavily thanks to the set-up’s 34kWh battery. In the Omoda 9, this gives a claimed electric range of 93 miles, something the Freelander could even exceed, given its more slippery shape.

After the plug-in hybrid, REx and fully electric powertrains will arrive.

RExs are the latest spin on hybrid cars, whereby a combustion engine acts as a generator to power the electric motor or top up the battery, rather than driving the wheels.

The powertrain’s popularity is surging (sales doubling year on year) in China – one of JLR’s biggest markets that it is trying to rebuild after a tough 2024. As such, Chery’s REx technology is likely to have been particularly attractive to JLR when the deal was brokered.

European manufacturers such as Volkswagen have also confirmed plans to launch their own REx models in Europe.

As for the first pure-electric Freelander, its tech make-up remains a mystery. Currently, Chery sells only two EVs and its newer model is the Omoda E5, which is sold in the UK. A platform-mate to the Freelander, it draws power from a 61kWh BYD Blade battery, offers a WLTP range of 257 miles and uses a single 204bhp motor.

However, when the Freelander EV finally arrives later this decade, more advanced technology is expected to be available, giving it more range and more power. That will be needed, because the Freelander is expected to be priced at almost double the E5’s £25,000.

The high-volume nature of the platform means the cost of producing the Freelander at the Chery-JLR plant in Changshu near Shanghai will be relatively low. But with the model pitched at a higher price point than equivalent Omoda and Jaecoo SUVs when it arrives in the UK, it should offer good profit margins for JLR and Chery.

While a start date for UK sales has yet to be confirmed, JLR said last year that sales will be initially concentrated on China, with exports to other markets starting over time. However, Chery’s recent push to boost its own exports, including launching the all-new global Lepas, Jetour and iCar/iCaur brands, could persuade the company to move faster in getting the new Freelander into the European Union and UK markets.

The revival will strike a chord with UK buyers in particular, who have fond memories of the compact SUV that ran from 1997 until 2016, when it was replaced by the Discovery Sport.

The rapid development of technology over the past 10 years means that previous Freelander owners will struggle to reconcile the digital features in the cabin with those of their old car. However, anyone worried that Chery will be tempted to bundle all cabin controls on to the screen – something brands such as Omoda and Jaecoo have been criticised for – will be comforted by Chery’s pivot towards chunky, tactile dials to operate features like the heating, volume and drive mode in the iCar range.

A large screen will still feature, though, either positioned landscape with a function to slide it across to the passenger (as in the Omoda 7) or portrait.

JLR has said the Freelander models will be sold via a network of its own dedicated Chery-run dealerships. Freelander won’t feature under the company’s luxury-focused ‘House of Brands’ marketing and sales strategy.

David Francis

Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson believes extended-range plug-in hybrids could play an important role in Europe's electrification transition, strengthening the possibility of the new XC70 being sold here.

The XC70 was previewed last week as a mid-sized PHEV SUV to sit in between the XC60 and XC90, with a claimed electric range of 124 miles - far more than any PHEV the brand currently sells.

It will be built in China on a platform supplied by Volvo's parent company Geely, and while it is destined initially for a roll-out in China, Volvo said it was considering a global launch - and now Samuelsson has said its drivetrain could be a logical addition in European markets.

Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference, he said: "In certain regions in Europe, the charging network will be developed later. If you look into the south and east of Europe, it will be slower. 

"The ones leading are Norway all the way in the west. There, there will be faster transition to electrification. But in other regions, it's really a good solution to have a long-range hybrid, because if you look into the environmental aspect, if you have a long-range hybrid, the absolute majority of the transport work will be done with electricity. And so in that way, it will be an 'electric car'.

"If you have a very short range, a large part of the transport work will be done with the petrol. And then, of course, it's not fossil-free anymore. So a long-range plug-in hybrid, I would argue, is an electric car with a back-up engine when the battery is flat, which will happen not so often.

"So I think it's a good solution, it's a good bridge and there is a lot of technology in that car which is in common with an all-electric car.

"It's a pragmatic bridge solution to wait for our customers to really feel comfortable with an all-electric car."

Samuelsson stopped short of confirming in which European markets Volvo could launch the XC70 or other long-range hybrids, nor did he give a timeframe.

What is the Volvo XC70?

Volvo has revived the XC70 name for a new long-range PHEV SUV for the Chinese market. 

It has been designed specifically "to meet the demand for longer-range plug-in hybrids in China", but Volvo also said it will explore "potential additional markets at a later stage".

Technical details remain sparse, but Volvo has promised an electric range of up to 124 miles, which is more than double what the similarly sized XC60 PHEV can achieve.

The XC70 is described as slightly larger than the XC60 and looks essentially like a downscaled XC90. But rather than being a close technical relation of that car, it's based on a new architecture adapted for long-range PHEVs.

The Scalable Modular Architecture (SMA) is said to be "a premium extended-range plug-in hybrid architecture", but no details of its relationship to Volvo's other platforms – or indeed those from the wider Geely group, of which Volvo is a part – have been given.

Fellow Geely brand Lotus is also investing in extended-range hybrids over the coming years in response to lower than anticipated demand for all-electric luxury cars, while LEVC (also owned by Geely) has been using an REx powertrain in its Volvo-engined TX taxi since 2017.

However, while those two firms are using combustion engines as a generator to top up a traction battery, Volvo's new XC70 is a more conventional PHEV. 

Nonetheless, the XC70 will help the firm cater to huge demand for extended-range hybrids in China, and its announcement follows the recent unveiling of the new China-oriented Volkswagen ID Era REx concept at the Shanghai motor show.

That car – similar in size to the XC70 – has been engineered in partnership with MG owner SAIC to target the burgeoning market for REx cars in China, with companies like Li Auto, Leapmotor and Avatr among the biggest players.

However, like Volvo, Volkswagen's sales and marketing boss told Autocar that a global launch was not off the table: "Range-extenders today are already a very big thing in China. They will be of relevance in North America and we are convinced they will also have relevance in Europe."

The XC70 has an especially important role to play for Volvo as the company embarks on a wide-reaching global cost-cutting drive in response to industry "turbulence" and a "challenging external environment". 

Even amid that turbulence, Volvo said it "remains firm on its ambition of becoming a fully electric car company", but just a fifth of its sales in the first quarter of 2025 were electric, and it said "premium plug-in hybrids provide a pragmatic bridge for customers not yet ready to switch".

The XC70 name had been dormant since 2016, when the off-road version of the third-generation V70 estate was taken off sale. It was originally called the V70 XC, with 'XC' standing for 'Cross Country'.