Porsche’s already working on several electric vehicles, such as the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo, with the Macan to join the range next decade and, perhaps, a zero-emission version of the Cayenne as well.
With these cars, the company has a very solid foundation to seriously start thinking about a new hypercar. So, what’s in store for the spiritual successor of the 918 Spyder? According to CEO Oliver Blume, who spoke to TopGear at the unveiling of the Cayenne Coupe, that could be a fully-electric powertrain.
“We have a big history here, and we’ll have one in the future. It has to be the best in the market, the highest performing… right now, we haven’t got a concept for that car”, said Blume. “But might it be a pure-electric car? Yes.”
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That definite “yes” would pose new challenges for Ferrari, McLaren and, why not, Lamborghini. The first two had the LaFerrari and the P1, respectively, to challenge the likes of the 918, whereas the latter proved that it can be in the electrified game if it wants to, with the Asterion Concept, which was presented just as the three hybrid hypercars were at their peak, but never materialized.
Porsche has not only the apparent blessing of the Volkswagen Group to consider a new hypercar, as it can also benefit from Rimac’s expertise within the field of electric models. The German automaker bought a 10 percent stake in the Croatian startup, which is behind the stunning Concept_One and C_Two.
“Partnering will be much more important in the future. For me, it’s important that we have a challenging partner, with the knowledge, the experience and that works on the same level – or one that pushes us”, added Blume in regards to Rimac, without necessarily referring to the electric hypercar. “Mate Rimac is an expert, very ambitious, and the perfect partner to do prototypes and small, clever solutions. It’s not just in electro-mobility: we have partners in finance, in digitalization… every month, a bigger net of partners.”
After three years and 918 units built, the 918 Spyder was discontinued in 2015. The hybrid hypercar had a total system output of 887 PS (875 hp / 652 kW), which gave it the ability to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.8 seconds and a 345 km/h (214 mph) top speed. The 918 could be driven on electric power for short periods of time, up to 150 km/h (93 mph).
Its successor, however, whether it’s an all-electric or not, should not arrive before 2025 at the earliest, as Blume has already stated in a previous interview.
