Porsche on Thursday unveiled the Mission X, an electric suoercar concept that could preview a future production model.
"As a design study, not offered for sale, with production to be decided in due time, the Mission X is a glimpse into what the sports car of the future could look like," a Porsche press release declared. The automaker sees the all-electric Mission X as the next step in the evolution of performance cars.
"The Porsche Mission X is a technology beacon for the sports car of the future," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said in a statement. "Like the 959, the Carrera GT, and the 918 Spyder before it, the Mission X provides critical impetus for the evolutionary development of future vehicle concepts."
Porsche Mission X concept
The cars referenced by Blume were Porsche's performance flagships in their respective times. The 959 and Carrera GT arrived before the modern era of electrification, while the 918 Spyder used a plug-in hybrid powertrain. But with the Mission X, Porsche is saying that the future of sports cars with the fastest possible lap times is all-electric, not some combination of electrified and internal-combustion.
While Porsche hasn't given the Mission X a green light for production, it's worth remembering that the Mission E concept eventually morphed into the Porsche Taycan. The automaker has also set some performance targets for a production version that indicate some development work has already been done.
If the Mission X goes into production, it must be the quickest road-legal vehicle around Germany's Nürburgring Nordschleife, have a power-to-weight ratio of one horsepower per 2.2 pounds, achieve higher downforce than the gasoline-powered 911 GT3 RS sports car, and charge roughly twice as quick as the current Taycan Turbo S—using a new 900-volt electrical architecture.
Porsche Mission X concept
The concept itself is relatively compact, measuring 177.0 inches long and 78.7 inches wide. The two-seat passenger compartment consists of a lightweight glass dome and what Porsche calls an "exoskeleton" chassis made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
Styling includes some references to past Porsche race cars. The Le Mans-style doors, which open up and out, are meant to resemble those of prototype racer like the Porsche 917. The headlights recall the 906 and 908, according to Porsche.
The interior includes a stopwatch module that mounts to the dashboard, with analog and digital displays for recording lap times and other data.
Porsche Mission X concept
Details on motors and batteries weren't revealed. However, Porsche is known to be developing solid-state battery tech, possibly for a future electric version of the 911, that could be leveraged here. The automaker indicated to Green Car Reports some months back that it learned that it was being too conservative with modern EV batteries in the Taycan.
The next electric model on the way from the automaker is an electric Macan, bringing an electric powertrain to Porsche's bestselling model. The automaker has also promised an electric 718 sports car, was well as a charging network to support these new EVs.
