Porsche Mission E

[ohmman]

It may be a sports car but I would be able to embarrass it off the line with my "less sporty" 2014 P85D, given the specs mentioned in the press release.

Yeah, we'll see where the car delivers vs. the advertised specs. Also, while it can be argued that in a Porsche, performance comes first, the Porsche owners I know seem to obsess more about craftsmanship and design. I am guessing this will deliver on both of those.

 

[Spidy]

It may be a sports car but I would be able to embarrass it off the line with my "less sporty" 2014 P85D, given the specs mentioned in the press release.

Everyone is ignoring top speed and track performance...
Acceleration isn't everything.

 

[wayner]

Everyone is ignoring top speed and track performance...
Acceleration isn't everything.

To me acceleration is far more important than top speed or track performance. I doubt that I will ever have my car on the track and I am guessing that is the case with 95%+ of the owners of a Model S or the new Porsche EV. Nor will I ever drive faster than 140 km/h - again that is probably the same with everyone else owning these cars, at least in North America. But I use the faster acceleration off the line every day.

 

[callmesam]

New Speed Limits Coming to the Autobahn in the Home State of Porsche, Mercedes

Speed Limits Coming to the Autobahn in the Home State of Porsche, Mercedes – News – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

 

[Bangor Bob]

To me acceleration is far more important than top speed or track performance. I doubt that I will ever have my car on the track and I am guessing that is the case with 95%+ of the owners of a Model S or the new Porsche EV. Nor will I ever drive faster than 140 km/h - again that is probably the same with everyone else owning these cars, at least in North America. But I use the faster acceleration off the line every day.

If it's a "Sportscar" Porsche, then it should be able to go to a lapping day of the local racetrack with the Porsche club and not start limping after two laps.

They have five years to figure it out, so maybe they will...

 

[dauger]

Finally an article about the Mission E with some perspective:

Opinion: Porsches impressive lead | Electrek

 

[Spidy]

The only point on which the Mission E seems to compete with the Model S is on fast-charging.

Another article completely ignoring the top speed of the car. It matters in Germany. It matters for people who buy sports cars and actually take them on the track. The 155mph max speed on the Model S simply aren't something the car actually achieves for more than a few minutes.

 

[Zythryn]

Another article completely ignoring the top speed of the car. It matters in Germany. It matters for people who buy sports cars and actually take them on the track. The 155mph max speed on the Model S simply aren't something the car actually achieves for more than a few minutes.

Which may be a good indicator of how few people care about top speed.
I'm not saying top speed isn't important to you.
Just that very few actually go to tracks.

I know lots of car enthusiasts and only one that has taken their personal car onto a track.
Lots of cruises, auto cross, etc., but only one track.

 

[Spidy]

It doesn't matter how many people care. A lot of people can't even afford that car. But for me Porsche is in the first place still a sports car manufacturers and certainly associated with seeing their cars go around the track. It would just look ridiculous if they do a review of the car and after half the track you get a warning that the car is overheating. That's perfectly fine for a family Sedan, but really doesn't look god on a brand like Porsche.

And there are many different kinds of car enthusiasts. I doubt your friends do auto cross in a Porsche.

 

[Yggdrasill]

It doesn't matter how many people care. A lot of people can't even afford that car. But for me Porsche is in the first place still a sports car manufacturers and certainly associated with seeing their cars go around the track. It would just look ridiculous if they do a review of the car and after half the track you get a warning that the car is overheating. That's perfectly fine for a family Sedan, but really doesn't look god on a brand like Porsche.

You're right. Just goes to show how legacy car companies are weighed down by their past. Unable to adjust to the present, they will drown.

 

[ecarfan]

Porsche Announces BEV Concept Car - "Mission E"

Another article completely ignoring the top speed of the car. It matters in Germany. It matters for people who buy sports cars and actually take them on the track. The 155mph max speed on the Model S simply aren't something the car actually achieves for more than a few minutes.

Being able to travel for extended periods at speeds over 90 miles an hour is a vehicle capability only required by a tiny fraction of the total car buying market. I would estimate less than 0.1%. So extended high speed travel is a "feature" that is not required to be a successful car company.
I agree with you that when selling high end cars in Germany, EVs do not offer all the "features" required by many customers. But the German car market is only a tiny fraction of the global car market. And the percentage of all car buyers who want to track their street car is also tiny.
I have owned many Porsches. Over the decades, as you have of course noticed, Porsche has changed quite a bit and in fact was saved from bankruptcy, in part, by offering models that are not sports cars. And in the future, Porsche will have to change even more to survive, by offering BEVs.

 

[Electroman]

Tastes over generations change. Teenagers in this internet age don't take to driving as in this 60s. There are many other passions and pursuits and distractions young people engage in, and I guess fast cars is low down on that list.

Going around in circles in a track for some bragging rights? - not sure how many would still pay big bucks for that.

 

[ecarfan]

Finally an article about the Mission E with some perspective:

Opinion: Porsches impressive lead | Electrek

Seems like a very reasonable article.
Porsche claims a top speed of 155mph for their concept vehicle. For those who care about car speeds in that rarefied range, the question is, for how long will the car be able to maintain that speed? Porsche has not provided an answer to that question. I assume the company will do what it can to maximize the time the Mission E can maintain that speed, but given current EV technology, that time will be modest. When Porsche actually starts producing the car, in 4 or 5 years, technologies will no doubt have improved. We shall see, someday...

 

[bxr140]

Going around in circles in a track for some bragging rights?

For the record, that's a pretty uneducated assessment.

 

[Jaff]

Being able to travel for extended periods at speeds over 90 miles an hour is a vehicle capability only required by a tiny fraction of the total car buying market. I would estimate less than 0.1%. So extended high speed travel is a "feature" that is not required to be a successful car company.
I agree with you that when selling high end cars in Germany, EVs do not offer all the "features" required by many customers. But the German car market is only a tiny fraction of the global car market. And the percentage of all car buyers who want to track their street car is also tiny.

Agree totally ecarfan....and as callmesam posted earlier in this thread, with a new speed limit coming to the autobahn, that already tiny portion that is the German car market that values top speed, becomes even more miniscule and less relevant in the future.

 

[Spidy]

You're right. Just goes to show how legacy car companies are weighed down by their past. Unable to adjust to the present, they will drown.

Right. It will be much better for their brand when they build a sportscar that does not live up to the expectations of their current customers.

Being able to travel for extended periods at speeds over 90 miles an hour is a vehicle capability only required by a tiny fraction of the total car buying market. I would estimate less than 0.1%. So extended high speed travel is a "feature" that is not required to be a successful car company.
I agree with you that when selling high end cars in Germany, EVs do not offer all the "features" required by many customers. But the German car market is only a tiny fraction of the global car market. And the percentage of all car buyers who want to track their street car is also tiny.
I have owned many Porsches. Over the decades, as you have of course noticed, Porsche has changed quite a bit and in fact was saved from bankruptcy, in part, by offering models that are not sports cars. And in the future, Porsche will have to change even more to survive, by offering BEVs.

Sure it's a tiny market. But Porsche is a nische manufacturer catering to exactly this tiny market. They are not going to have their first BEV car be some kind of compromise. Maybe they will later have some Boxter equivalent with less performance.

 

[Candleflame]

there is no new speed limit coming to the autobahn. Richtgeschwindigkeit is 130 kmh.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Right. It will be much better for their brand when they build a sportscar that does not live up to the expectations of their current customers.

I'm not saying it is. I'm saying they're between a rock and a hard place.

 

[techmaven]

The problem with discussing this car is that the tech that this car relies upon, especially the battery chemistry does not exist. Therefore, it is as fruitful as discussing a hypothetical world of zero carbon hydrogen production at wide scale and then discussing possible lap times of a resulting possible HFCV.

As a result, this is yet another PR FUD move by the Volkswagen Group that goes with a long line of Audi announcements with no product shipping. At this point, it's show us, don't just keep yapping.

 

[ecarfan]

Porsche Announces BEV Concept Car - "Mission E"

I'm not saying it is. I'm saying they're between a rock and a hard place.

We are certainly in agreement on that.
Porsche's reputation is built on their being a "sports car" company with a racing heritage. Porsche markets that image quite intensively. The Cayenne was a bit of a shock to long time Porsche enthusiasts, but it ended up being a huge moneymaker for Porsche and the company realized it could successfully market and sell vehicles that were not traditional "sports cars". So then they produced the Panamera, and then the Macan.
Porsche is going to have a very hard time transitioning to a BEV product line. If the Mission E is a great car and compares favorably to the 911 series (and if Porsche really tries the E will be a better car in many ways compared to whatever 911 version they are offering 5 years from now) than 911 sales will plunge. Will Porsche dealers resist selling BEVs? Probably. It's the same challenges that all ICE manufacturers are facing in the near future.

Sure it's a tiny market. But Porsche is a nische manufacturer catering to exactly this tiny market.

Since launching the Cayenne, Panamera, and Macan, Porsche is no longer a niche sports car company.