Porsche plans Tesla Model S rival

Porsche has plans not only for a four-door saloon smaller than the current Panamera, but is also plotting to take that model (so-far dubbed the Pajun, or Panamera Junior) and turn it into an all-electric rival to the Tesla Model S. Much of the technology for the car will be shared with Audi, as it gears up production of its all-electric R8 e-Tron supercar. Both cars will share the same electric motor, mounted at the rear.

The basic structure of the car will also be shared – it’s set to be based on the eMSB platform, which will also see service under the next-generations of Audi A6 and A8 – suggesting there may be all-electric e-Tron versions of both of those too.Performance figures are pure fiction for now, but Porsche insiders are suggesting as much as 420hp and a full-charge range of close to 500km.

It also appears that Porsche has plans to try and match Toyota and Hyundai and bring a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to the market, based on the same mechanical package as the Pajun. Head of Volkswagen Group's R&D Ulrich Hackenberg has been hinting about such a vehicle, but it would be built in only limited numbers, whereas the electric car would be for full series production.

Meanwhile, Porsche is also stepping up research into autonomous driver assistance systems. It has developed a new version of cruise control, called InnoDrive. Using the same radar guidance systems with which current active cruise control detects slower vehicles pulling out in front of you, InnoDrive can detect when you’re approaching a corner with the cruise control enabled. It will calculate the safe speed for going around the corner – all you have to do is steer. Porsche claims the system improves engine efficiency and journey times, but it’s limited to corners through which the peak cornering force would be 0.7g.