New Porsche ‘Mission S’ supercar central in plan to tackle Ferrari head-on
Porsche’s plan to recover its profits involves pushing upmarket to widen margins, with more customisability and a new supercar
The new ‘Sportwagenschmiede 35’ strategy, written under recently appointed CEO Michael Leiters, translates to ‘sports car foundry 2035’. The name is a clear signal that Porsche is doubling down on its historic DNA, with Leiters confirming exploration of a mid-engined super-sports car (imagined above with an AI edit of Porsche's Vision Gran Turismo concept) above the 911. Undoubtedly a Ferrari rival.
‘We are developing a super sports car platform, and we intend to use it as the basis for a new mid-engined car, a car that will sit clearly above the 911,’ he told media including evo at a Weissach HQ briefing. ‘The Mission S is an idea of what such a car might look like, a vision of how Porsche can continue to evolve while remaining unmistakably Porsche. It reflects some of the ideas, proportions, and design principles that will influence our future products and help shape the next chapter of our brand.’
The Mission S follows the naming convention of the 2015 Mission E, which previewed the Taycan, Mission R racer and Mission X hypercar, all electric. Don’t expect the Mission S to slavishly follow suit: going too fast on the electric transition hurt Porsche’s finances, and Leiters was a vocal electric supercar skeptic in his previous role as McLaren Automotive CEO. We’ll find out soon, with the boss confirming the concept will be unveiled in New York on 15 October.
Porsche also wants to recalibrate its line-up with more models in other lucrative segments: that’s why Porsche plans a three-row SUV above the Cayenne, aimed squarely at its biggest market, North America. That’s in addition to the purely electric 718 Boxster replacement, which will go on sale at a considerably higher price point than the now defunct car to pay for its bespoke, mid-engined architecture and drivetrain.
But a ferocious drive upmarket will see Porsche unleash myriad new ways for customers of its 10,000 most expensive cars to spend much more money. Today those fans lavish an average of €270,000 on a new Porsche, which the company hopes to raise to €330,000 with a greater array of individualisation options, including customer-commissioned ‘few offs’. That’s the playbook from a brand Leiters’ presentation identified with an average selling price of €440,000 – Ferrari.
The recently unveiled Flachbau RS is a perfect demonstration of Porsche’s ‘sunderwunsch’ (special wish) offer: a customer’s 2018 GT2 RS was given an interior and exterior overhaul, re-engineered with new aerodynamics, a 31kg weight reduction and tested on the Nordschleife. Porsche says 15 more one-off projects are in the works, with customers paying between €1.62m and €13.47m for the privilege.
The Flachbau RS collaboration included Porsche design and motorsport and Manthey Racing, another lucrative personalisation channel. Porsche is promising more special editions, accessories and exclusive on-circuit opportunities from its partner racing team (in which Porsche’s stake now totals 67 per cent).
Weissach is also scaling up its capability to recommission existing cars, with new styling inside and out; 11 Carrera GTs have been refitted, with another 37 working their way through this factory ‘restomod’ process.
