Porsche’s Tesla-fighting Mission E concept car gets green light for production

The Porsche Mission E, arguably one of the most interesting and beautiful concept cars to debut in 2015, was a huge hit at the Frankfurt auto show a few months ago — but the company hadn’t committed to actually building the thing. Now, with a new press release, Porsche says that the Mission E will be on the road “at the end of the decade.”

That’s a long time to wait, but the promise is pretty big: Porsche says that the 600-plus-horsepower sedan can do 0-62 in under 3.5 seconds with a range of “more than” 500 kilometers (310 miles). And — here’s the big one, if Porsche can pull it off — it uses a next-generation quick-charge system that promises an 80 percent charge in just 15 minutes, which is about twice as fast as the fastest chargers available today. In other words, this will be a Tesla Model S fighter through and through by the time it’s on the road, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Model S looks like (and is capable of) by 2020. Porsche obviously has its work cut out for it.

Volkswagen Group, Porsche’s parent company, must’ve gotten the message that people loved the Mission E at its Frankfurt debut — VW is looking to smooth over its enormous diesel emissions scandal, and committing to building a hugely popular electric car is a great way to divert attention.

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