Porsche criticises Tesla's spectacular presentation

The principle of no effects

On 15 October, Porsche and Tesla presented their respective vehicles. While Elon Musk's company staged a spectacular show where the roadster performed a somersault in the air, Porsche opted for a more traditional approach with its Mission S concept.

Speaking at a conference in Berlin this week, Michael Layters barely touched upon Tesla's presentation. He stated that Porsche wants to "повністю утриматися від будь-яких ефектів та шоу" (completely refrain from any effects and shows). Instead, the company wants to demonstrate tangible technological innovations.

Different target audiences

The executive also noted that these two cars are aimed at different customers. This indicates that Porsche is not particularly interested in competing with Tesla in terms of spectacle.

The contrast was hard to miss. Tesla finally unveiled its next-generation roadster almost nine years after showing a prototype in 2017. At the October presentation, the car climbed a curved ramp before flying into the air, performing a rotation in mid-air and landing on its wheels. The stunt relied on pneumatic engines developed with the help of SpaceX engineers.

Tesla's technical details and ambitions

This was undoubtedly an attractive way to present a new sports car, but Tesla still has a lot to prove. The company outlined several versions, including:

• a Performance model with suction fans;
• a Thrust variant with rear cold gas engines, which, according to Tesla, can accelerate from 0 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in less than 0.9 seconds;
• a one-off Rocket version with engines all around, although such a configuration will not be permitted for road use.

Porsche's philosophy: Mission S

While Tesla sells the dream of an electric hypercar with a rocket engine, Porsche has something else in mind. Mission S is a mid-engine sports car positioned above the 911, and the price is expected to be significantly higher if it gets the green light for production.

Its engine has not yet been revealed, but all signs point to an eight-cylinder power unit, whether it is a V8 or a flat-eight.

Layters says that the reaction from potential customers has been "приголомшливою" (staggering), making this concept an important part of his strategy to push Porsche into a higher market segment. The car is being developed for use with a hybrid or conventional internal combustion engine, so Porsche is not necessarily abandoning the petrol engine at the top of its lineup. It may even receive a manual gearbox, provided that demand is high enough for the numbers to work.

Return to the supercar segment

The release of a production Mission S would also mark Porsche's return to the supercar segment for the first time since the 918 Spyder in 2015. This puts Ferrari in the crosshairs, although Porsche's main goal is to increase exclusivity and average selling prices to improve profitability.

Different views in the industry

It is worth noting that not everyone in the industry shares Layters' reservations about Tesla's presentation. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna previously gave the roadster presentation a perfect 10 out of 10, showing that Musk's theatrical approach has its fans in the world of sports cars as well.

Ultimately, Porsche and Tesla have very different ideas about what a flagship sports car should be. One is betting on rocket technology and spectacular demonstrations, while the other wants to win customers with engineering solutions and exclusivity.