It
was a tough choice, but Porsche might have made the correct one.
Everyone expects a sports car from a company with its reputation, but
making a battery-powered
911 (or
equivalent) would have been too risky. That model is way too close to
the brand's ethos, so it needs to be handled with care.
A sedan with a sporty, almost coupe-like appearance is sporty enough
to fall within the general Porsche guidelines as seen by the public,
but also un-Porsche-like to the extent where it won't be perceived as
a threat by the more hardcore enthusiasts.
But discussing the Zuffenhausen-based manufacturer's decision now is
pointless since the Mission E is coming, and it's coming fast. With
Tesla dominating
the segment right now both in sales and performance, it was only
natural for Porsche to pick the American EV-maker as its target, but
you can't openly admit to that since it would automatically put you in
an inferior position.
Well, talking to
Autoblog,
Stefan Weckbach - the Vice President of Product Line BEV at
Porsche -
did just that.
“(Tesla’s)
system is throttled. Porsche drivers won’t need to worry about that
because the Mission E’s being developed to deliver reproducible
performance and a top speed which can be maintained for long
periods.” That's something EVs need to do if
they ever plan to become as viable for performance driving as ICE
vehicles.
Tesla was indeed limiting the number of Ludicrous Mode launches for
its vehicles in an attempt to protect the battery pack and the rest of
the powertrain components, but it eventually had to give in to public
pressure and lift the restriction. Instead, it only displays a warning
which forces the user to acknowledge repeated use of the feature might
damage their vehicle.
However, what people expect from Porsche isn't to beat Tesla in a drag
race, but run rings around it on a track. Given Porsche's DNA, its
cars need to handle themselves in a corner or two - or even 1,000. It
won't be the end of the world if the
Mission
E doesn't drop under three seconds for the
0-60 mph acceleration, but it will be if it's a sluggish machine that
lacks nimbleness.
Weckbach also talked about other features of the Mission E, revealing
it won't make use of fake sounds to recreate the atmosphere inside an
ICE - thank god - and that it would feature a 100-liter "frunk,"
despite the front of the sedan containing "
lots
of high-tech gear."