Porsche's new head of design has revealed that the Mission S concept is more than a show car: it previews a mid-engined flagship that will sit above the 911 and sets the styling template for the next generation of the German marque's sports cars.
Tobias Sühlmann, who joined Porsche in February after serving as design chief at McLaren, was appointed by chief executive Michael Leiters to develop a new direction for the brand. His first move, as at McLaren, was to study Porsche's history and identify the elements that would carry forward. The result is a design language that is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, in line with Leiters' insistence that «a Porsche must be recognisable as a Porsche at first glance».
The Mission S's exterior adopts what Sühlmann describes as a purist approach, with torpedo-style fenders, a sloping roofline and a width-to-height ratio that will appear on future Porsche sports cars. He likens sports cars, SUVs and saloons to three different athletes, meaning the shared design elements will take different forms across each model line. Inside, the cabin is notably driver-focused and largely free of touchscreens, a deliberate choice that echoes the analogue character of classic Porsches.
The concept also contains numerous references to historic models including the 911 GT1, Carrera GT, 550 Spyder, 356, 917 and 928. Sühlmann is careful to distinguish this from outright retro design of the kind seen at the recent Paris motor show, describing it instead as an approach carried out with immense respect for the past. «We are true to our brand and we're true to our heritage,» he said. «We're not denying our heritage: we are building on it.»
Porsche is developing a platform for the mid-engined supercar previewed by the Mission S, which will be positioned above the 911 in the range. The concept therefore serves a dual purpose: it signals a new halo model and demonstrates the design vocabulary that will inform the next 911, a car Sühlmann will eventually have to design.
He describes that prospect as exciting rather than daunting. His first Porsche after finishing his studies was a 996, a 3.4-litre car in black on black, and he recalls the engine coming alive above 5,000rpm as a «goosebump moment». «For me, the 911 is an icon in the car design world,» he said. «And to create the next one is the greatest opportunity. You have to respect the past. I cannot throw out the concept and say: 'Let's make everything new.'» He compares the process to a chef fine-tuning a dish: enough salt and ingredients to make it spicy, but not too spicy.
Sühlmann also addressed the industry-wide trend towards cleaner, less fussy car design, arguing that Porsche should not chase fashion. «We're not a trendy brand. So, we are modern but we're not fashionable,» he said, likening the marque to a timeless watch. Technology, he added, must be integrated in a lasting way: «When you think of a Carrera GT, you don't see a screen, and the interior looks timeless.»
On the relationship between design and engineering, Sühlmann said form and function go together, with decisions on radiator placement, aerodynamic tensions and interior screens settled in collaboration with engineers. The amount of analogue and digital content, he suggested, should be dictated by how a car is used — particularly for models driven more often on track.
The Mission S thus marks the opening statement of Sühlmann's tenure: a concept that honours Porsche's race-bred history while pointing to a future range topped by a new mid-engined flagship and anchored by a next-generation 911 that will be expected to remain instantly recognisable.