Talk of Porsche adding a second sedan to its lineup has been making the rounds since 2011. We’re talking about the oft-rumored Pajun, whose nickname, a portmanteau of “Panamera” and “junior,” was chosen due to the car’s expected smaller size than the Panamera.
The Pajun faded off the radar for a while but then Porsche stunned us with the unveiling of the Mission E electric car concept in 2015, which the automaker later confirmed for production. While it looks like a coupe, the Mission E is actually a sedan with four doors and a fastback roof.
When announcing the car for production, Porsche didn’t say what final form its first electric car would take. This led to speculation that the production version of the Mission E might turn out to be a large coupe reviving the 928 name.
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has now put those rumors to rest, confirming to Drive that the car will “retain a four-door sedan layout” and be priced to compete in a “segment below the Panamera.” In other words, it will be the Pajun.
2020 Porsche ‘Mission E’ electric car test mule spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
With the second-generation Panamera having grown in length to almost 199 inches, there’s certainly room in Porsche’s lineup for a sleeker, more design-oriented sedan like the Mission E. The more practical body style should also increase the car’s appeal compared to a coupe while also providing Porsche with a direct rival to high-end electric sedans like the Tesla Model S and upcoming Lucid Air.
Like those rivals, the production Mission E will offer multiple power outputs, Blume confirmed. He also said Porsche will implement over-the-air updates, with some updates potentially able to unlock greater performance. Tesla has already demonstrated this with a software update for the Model S that improved the car's 0-60 time.
Underpinning the production Mission E will be a Porsche-developed electric car platform called the J1. This is a separate platform to the C-BEV design being developed by Audi for its upcoming e-tron electric SUV. It’s also separate to the smaller MEB design developed by Volkswagen for compact electric cars. Early test mules for the production Mission E have already been spotted.
Porsche is targeting a range of over 300 miles and an output of 600 horsepower for the initial version of the production Mission E. The car should also feature an 800-volt charging system that will enable 80 percent of the battery to be charged in just 15 minutes. The targeted market launch is in 2019.
