Porsche all-electric Tesla rival could cost less than $100,000
While
automakers have been not-so-quietly making promises to catch up to the likes of
Tesla when it comes to electric vehicle range, a sports car maker may be the
first to beat the startup at its own game. A production version of the
2015 Porsche Mission E electric concept is scheduled to go on sale at
the end of 2019, with a price expected to start in the $80,000 - $90,000 range,
according to Car Magazine.
Speaking
last week at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Porsche CEO Oliver
Blume says the Mission E will look “very close” to the concept presented two
years ago at the show. Smaller than Porsche’s other four-door car, the
Panamera, the company says it is intended to bridge the gap between that
vehicle and the 911 sports car.
That
apparently means in performance terms, too. Unlike Porsche’s current range of
hybrids the Mission E won’t be offered with any internal combustion engine
assistance. And yet the concept promised a 0–60 time of less than 3.5 seconds
and a top speed of around 155 mph through a dual-motor setup that also allows
for all-wheel drive. While a Tesla Model S P100D may beat it off the
the line in its most ludicrous of modes, the Porsche would ultimately keep up
on an unrestricted stretch of Autobahn. Yet like Tesla, Blume says Porsche will
offer the Mission E with different power levels, so your “basic” $90,000
version may not be quite as powerful.
Blume also
didn’t rule out expanding the Mission E range to include other styles, which
may include a coupe or wagon or SUV. Porsche may be known for sports cars, but
its Cayenne SUV has been pretty successful over the years. And being
part of the vast Volkswagen Group that has promised to electrify
everything by 2030, a slew of electric-only Porsches by then wouldn’t be so
surprising.
While
numerous other automakers might be gunning for the estimated ranges of Tesla’s
lineup, Porsche might actually be the first to topple its performance
credentials among high-end electrics. We’ll see in two years.