Porsche’s not playing when it comes to electric vehicles. While the German brand’s EV lineup currently consists strictly of the Taycan sedan and its Cross Turismo faux-SUV counterpart, Porsche plans to expand its electric offerings by way of the forthcoming Mecan EV before the middle of the decade. There’s also the strong possibility the brand builds an electric sports car, which is likely previewed by the recently revealed Mission R.
The Mission R likely envisions a race-ready iteration of a series production car the automaker intends to sell. As the automaker notes, the Mission R “provides an indication of what the future of one-make series with all-electric cars could look like.” Considering race-ready variants of the Porsche 911 production car compete in the Carrera Cup one-make racing series, it’s reasonable to assume the vehicles competing in this theoretical electric one-make racing series rely on a production Porsche model as a base.
Given the fact the Mission R casts a shadow just 2.1 inches shorter than that of today’s 718 Cayman, we think there’s a good chance this concept previews the styling (and possibly the powertrain) of the next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxter. Whether Porsche decides to replace today’s 718 models with an electric-powered model or sell this EV iteration alongside the current gas-powered coupe and convertible (as it will with the Macan and Macan EV) remains a mystery.
Regardless of if the Mission R foreshadows an electric 718 or not, the track-ready coupe packs a powertrain that we wager will find its way to future Porsche models. That said, Porsche may reserve the Mission R’s Qualifying mode 1,070-hp output to its most track-focused electric vehicles. Nevertheless, the 671 horses the all-wheel-drive Mission R’s two electric motors make in Race mode ought to offer plenty of power for most consumers.
