Well someone had to. Having seemingly caught the entire automotive industry with its pants round its ankles, Tesla's
moment in the spotlight
could be facing its first real challenge from the mainstream in the form of the Porsche Mission E. Unveiled at the pre-show VW Group Night, the Mission E takes Le Mans-honed technology in the shape of 800-volt Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM - a new acronym for your Porsche spotter's book there) apparently "similar" to those used in the race winning 919 Hybrid.
Charges in time it takes to buy a coffee
These power, as well as charge, the Mission E, delivering the headline grabbing 600hp output and combining it with a 300-mile range, 0-62 in "less than 3.5 seconds" and under 12 seconds to 125mph. Chuck in seating for four and ability to recharge to 80 per cent capacity in just 15 minutes via 'Porsche Turbo Charging' via a special port on the driver's door for good measure. No mention of technicalities like infrastructure to support such a system like Tesla has been rolling out with its Superchargers but - hey! - it's a concept. Porsche also says the Mission E could be replenished via regular 400-volt systems or even wirelessly via an induction loop installed in the floor of your garage.
Most importantly of all it looks absolutely brilliant. Porsche knows exactly which spots to tickle so mention of GT3 RS influence in the recess that flows from nose and over the roof will please the 911 fanboys while running the lithium ion batteries the full length of the underfloor and selling that as a dynamic as well as practical attribute signals some attention to detail. There's even gesture control, holographic displays, eye control and instruments that follow your line of sight as you lean into bends. Clever stuff, though the less said about the idea of a camera in the mirror that "recognises the driver's good mood and shows it as an emoticon in the round instrument" the better.
The full press release is reproduced here if you're interested. But for Porsche to top even the unveiling of a new-generation 911 with a concept is something worth noting.