The rumors around Porsche bringing an electric sedan to the reality can now be shelved. Announcing the all new Porsche Mission E electric sports sedan, the German automaker has officially thrown the first punch against the successful Tesla sports coupes. According to preliminary projections by Porsche AG, the new electric sports car will be available by 2020.
Porsche AG gave the German automaker the green light to proceed with development back on Dec. 4th of this year. During the press conference, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of the supervisory board commented on the need that Porsche maintain it’s premier stance in the ever-changing world of sports cars.
The Porsche Mission E concept was unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and has made several appearances at auto shows since. It’s the proverbial gauntlet thrown into the ring, and with a supposed $1 Billion dollar development budget, it’s a challenge Tesla won’t be taking lightly.
Porsche has also stated the sedan will crank out more than 600 horsepower, and have a range of up to 310 miles on a single charge. Sporting suicide doors and a dramatic, sweeping interior the all new Porsche Mission E will also go from 0 to 62 mph in under 3.5 seconds.
While recent purpose built electric hybrid racing machines like the Nissan Zeod have breaking ground, Porsche has quietly been preparing for this day for years. The German automaker has already developed plug in versions of the Panamera and Cayenne, as well as raced their own electric hybrid 911.
The Porsche Mission E exterior is a mixture of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer and aluminum, with a sleek and slim stance. While the original concept featured twin electric motors with all-wheel drive vectoring, the production one could be significantly different.
Porsche is making lots of bold claims with the all new Porsche Mission E, none more impressive than the charging times. Featuring an 800 volt charging system, the concept could reach 80% charge in little more than 15 minutes.
Nobody knows what the final product will look like, not even Porsche but it certainly won’t be timid. Not if the $765 million they are investing in their Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen engine factory as anything to say about it. It’s a huge step in the evolution of electric sports cars and one that future generations will be sure to look back upon with fondness.
Tesla on the other hand hasn’t backed down any, despite pulling out of the Detroit Auto Show this year. We aren’t certain who will emerge from the electric car wars victorious, but we’ll bring you news and updates as it happens.
What do you think about the new Porsche Mission E? Think it stands a chance or do you think it’s a clear cut favorite to overtake Tesla? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
[…] such as the AMG GT or BMW’s 8 Series Gran Coupe, however, it appears as though Porsche could consider a purely electric […]