Porsche will launch its new four-door, electric sports car sometime in 2020. Codenamed J1, the car was previewed as the Mission E concept at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show. It will be the company’s first bespoke all-electric model.
Porsche has opted for a sportier car rather than an SUV to showcase that its electric technology. Porsche R&D boss Michael Steiner said it will resemble the Mission E concept and that the company has not chosen an official name yet. Porsche boss Oliver Blume confirmed it will not use the same name as the concept. Steiner said the brief was to create “a really sporty sports car, a four-seater that’s low on the road, with a low centre of gravity. A car that’s typically Porsche but electric.”
The Mission E is the first step towards Porsche electrifying its entire range as part of a Volkswagen Group target of 2030 to have an electrified version of every model offered.
Steiner added, “The Mission E is the sweet spot of sports car performance that size-wise provides enough space for significant battery packages.” The Mission E concept car was fitted with two electric motors and could make 608hp and 900Nm, sent to all-four-wheels. Porsche stated that it could hit 100kph in a time of 3.5 seconds and claimed a 0-198kph time of under 12 seconds.
Porsche’s next electric car, after the launch of the Mission E, is set to be an SUV, a car Steiner said will have “benefits for Porsche as there’s still a trend for SUVs. We made a clear strategy on electric cars to start with cars very close to the core of the brand. We will have a really sporty car between 911 and Panamera. It’s very well known that the SUV segment is growing faster but we didn’t want a ‘me too’ concept but a true Porsche concept. We’re convinced it [Mission E] will make its way in the market.”