Porsche Adds Wireless CarPlay to 300,000 Older 911, Boxster and Cayman Models
The second-generation PCCM Plus brings wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite-map navigation, and over-the-air updates to the 997.2, 991.1, 987.2, and 981 — but Porsche hasn't said what it costs.
Porsche is bringing wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to more than 300,000 sports cars it built between the 2009 and 2016 model years. A second-generation Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus (PCCM Plus) head unit, announced by Porsche Classic on Monday, is on sale now at Porsche Centers worldwide for the 997.2 and 991.1 911, plus the 987.2 and 981 Boxster and Cayman.
Those are the last 911s, Boxsters, and Caymans sold without factory smartphone integration: Porsche's own compatibility list starts CarPlay at the 2017 model year. Until now, owners of the earlier cars have been left to aftermarket modules. It's a sharp contrast with General Motors, which kept CarPlay in its new truck interface after vowing to drop it — here, the automaker is adding the feature to cars it stopped building a decade ago.
The retrofit comes in two model-specific versions: one for the 991.1 and 981 (2012–2016 model years) and one for the 997.2 and 987.2 (2009–2013). Both use a 7-inch touchscreen and, where the car has a multifunction steering wheel, keep the factory buttons working. Turn-by-turn directions and track info still show up in the instrument cluster, and the car's personal settings carry over.
CarPlay and Android Auto connect over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so there's no cable to plug in. Porsche has also carried over a few features from its current infotainment: YouTube playback while parked (where local law allows), speed-limit warnings drawn from map data, and oil temperature and oil pressure on the trip screen. In the Boxster and Cayman, the unit adds an on-screen distance readout to what was previously a beeps-only park assist. Owners can even pick their car's exterior color for the virtual vehicle shown on the display.
Navigation gains satellite imagery and a Scenic Roads mode that favors winding routes over fast ones. Maps update over the air, and there's a nano-SIM slot with 4G. On the audio side, the unit packs FM/AM dual tuners, Bluetooth streaming with song and artist metadata, internal and external microphones, and connections for the car's existing sound system. One regional catch: DAB digital radio is Europe-only, and HD Radio is only in the North American version.
What Porsche hasn't said
Pricing, for one. The release doesn't name a figure for the new units or for installation, which Porsche recommends having done at a Porsche Center. For reference, the previous PCCM Plus — built for the 2005–2008 997 and 987 and the first-generation Cayenne — carried a $1,475.99 price tag when Porsche Cars North America introduced it in January 2023, and the original 996/986 version launched at $1,475 in 2020. Whether the new generation stays in that bracket, and when it reaches US dealers, are open questions.
The new units also aren't an upgrade for cars already running an earlier PCCM Plus: those were designed for different, older models, and Porsche hasn't mentioned any upgrade path. The company also notes that feature availability depends on the model and its specification, and that some services require an active data connection.
Porsche Classic has been expanding its retrofit line since 2020, when the first PCCM units arrived for air-cooled 911s and the 996. The 991.1 and 981 are now old enough — and numerous enough — to join the program. It's a small business next to the Cayenne Electric Porsche just priced for the US, but it's one that gives 300,000 owners a reason to walk back into a dealership.
