If you look at the Porsche 911 today, it looks a lot like the first generation of the car that came out in the 1960s. That’s because its designers have long known that the brand is about evolution, not revolution. That evolution may soon start to accelerate, though.
Porsche isn’t ready to abandon its fundamental design concept just yet, but its styling team is using the electric revolution as an opportunity to explore more adventurous looks. Case in point, the Mission X and Vision 357 concepts, which are vastly different designs, but look to embrace Porsche’s history while moving its design language forward in their own ways.
Of course, those are just concepts, not production vehicles, meaning that the styling team can be more adventurous. However, Porsche’s head of advanced exterior design, Ingo Scheinhütte, says that they are indicative of the work going on with its production vehicles.
“You bring all the ideas to a concept, but you have to see how they develop,” Scheinhütte told Autocar. “Some elements are essential for our brand ID, like the continuous light arch – and on the Mission X, you see a development of that. Instead of just having a light bar, it now has the Porsche logo integrated into it. I’m confident this is something we will see in production.”
Read: New Porsche Mission X Is An Electric Hypercar Concept Charging For ’Ring Record Glory
While he concedes that the Vision 357 Concept and the Mission X are two very different designs, they represent two directions that the brand is weighing. On the one hand, there is the futuristic design, and on the other, there is the “love letter to the original Porsche shape.”
Even in the more retro Vision 357, there are some major changes happening to the brand’s design. The biggest is perhaps a little unexpected.
“We asked ourselves ‘what is the main thing that makes a shape?’ and interestingly it was the headlights,” said Scheinhütte of the concept. “Ten years ago, I would have said that the most important exterior element on a Porsche was the headlights.”
However, with the Vision 357, the Mission X, and even the 963 LMDh, he says that the brand is figuring out how to mess with its headlights without losing their essential Porsche-ness. He admits that the design team can’t get too crazy, though.
“We have to push both tradition and innovation at the same time. We’ve been building cars for 75 years and have been called the laziest designers in the car industry,” Scheinhütte said. “We always try to be as innovative as possible, but we don’t want to revolutionize our design. It has to be an evolution, and we’ve been using this recipe for 75 years.”
That’s of particular importance when it comes to vehicles like the 911, which will stick to the current design formula. In other sports cars, such as the all-electric Boxster, it can be a little more avant-garde. Even though they can’t be quite as wild with the 3D shapes and the ornament, SUVs and larger vehicles will also start integrating some design updates from Porsche’s sports cars, said Scheinhütte.
“So, [sports] cars are kind of our blueprint that we try to take and adapt to our SUVs,” he said. “Some things work [for SUVs], some things don’t. On the 357, there is a crease on the side, and usually Porsches are very round. This time, we tried to give it a bit of an edge and a corner, even bring the corner around the whole car. I think we could apply that to our SUVs.”
Scheinhütte’s comments suggest that although Porsche isn’t about to become as adventurous as, say, Hyundai’s design department, the move to electric vehicles will allow it to have a little more fun, and may help its own design team shed its reputation as the laziest people in the field.
