Seen in Frankfurt: Porsche Mission E

The company that cast the longest shadow at the 2015 IAA was a company with very little in the way of presence there: Tesla.

But think what you will about Elon Musk and his disruptive company, it is clearly causing some very positive consequences, like the Porsche Mission E, a concept, but one that is undoubtedly going to see production sooner rather than much later.

The Mission E is a four-seat sports car that is electrically powered. It has two permanent magnet synchronous motors that provide over 600 hp. According to Porsche, this will provide 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds. According to Tesla, a Model S P85D with a Ludicrous Speed Update goes from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. (Even though that’s 0 to 96.56 km/h, chances are the Spaceballs-inspired car gets the edge.)

The Mission E, which seats four and has all-wheel-drive and all-wheel-steering, is said to be capable of running the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under eight minutes.

And while on the subject of minutes, it can be recharged via an 800-volt port in the driver’s side front quarter panel to 80% of charge in approximately 15 minutes. This is called the “Porsche Turbo Charging” system. (While that name is certainly automotive-appropriate, you’ve got to give it up to Tesla for its Supercharger.)

(The Mission E also offers inductive charging capability, which means that you park your Porsche above a coil embedded in your garage floor and the charging of the lithium-ion battery commences.)

The Mission E body is a mixed-material construction: aluminum and carbon-fiber reinforced plastics. The wheels—21 inches in the front, 22 inches in the rear—are made with carbon fiber.

The interior of the vehicle, which has a very minimalist design, is carbon-fiber centric.

Of all the cars I saw at the 2015 IAA, the Mission E is by far the most compelling.

Thanks, Elon.