2012 Porsche 911 And 911 Cabriolet Spied Testing

Earlier this year, spy photos of the 2012 Porsche 911 showed that, whatever might lie beneath, the popular sports car's exterior styling won't see any significant styling changes in its next iteration.

Spy photos obtained this week reveal more of the familiar lines of the new model. Familiar, except for one detail obscured on the earlier photos: LED tail-lights are now clearly visible on this 2012 Porsche 911 prototype.

Like the Cabrio, this 911 prototype appears to be a production-ready version - albeit still camouflaged - with complete headlights, day-time running lights and of course those LED tail-lights.

Speaking with press last year, Porsche's R&D boss Wolfgang Durheimer said the new 911 will continue Porsche's philosophy of evolution over revolution in its styling.

"It will be even more competent, even sexier, even more unique. The design can of course only be evolutionary, but beneath the skin, almost anything is possible".

Of the few styling changes, one significant change will be to the 911's nose - a change driven by Europe's strict pedestrian-safety laws.

The body of this test car appears slightly longer than the current model, while the headlights have a more upright look. The wing mirrors now sprout out of the doors rather than from the corner of the A-pillar.

For improved aerodynamics, the rear end is expected to reveal a number of small tweaks as well.

Porsche has let nothing slip on what to expect for the next generation 911’s engine line-up, but minimal updates - for efficiency and emissions - to the existing range is the most likely course.

According to Britain's Autocar magazine, the next-generation 911 will move further upmarket (along with the Boxster/Cayman twins) to make room for the rumoured new entry-level model reportedly being developed together Volkswagen and Audi.

Reports of a new more affordable entry-level Porsche have been circulating for some time now, and with Volkswagen's stated aim of becoming the world's number one carmaker by 2018, a volume-selling Porsche would go a long way to achieving that goal.