Porsche's Greenest Buyers Might Get a Chance to Go Partially Topless: Report

Porsche’s Taycan, a slinky electric sedan that used to carry the Mission E moniker, is only a starting point for the German performance brand. Several EVs are sure to follow that model’s 2019 debut, a couple of which saw light shed on them last week.

For the Taycan, it seems Porsche has plans to instill a little 911-themed heritage into its green car flag-bearer, starting with the car’s roof.

According to Autocar, Porsche has a targa variant in mind. While the word brings to mind the most famous targa of all, there’s no chance of seeing the same sort of electromechanical dance a 911 Targa 4 driver experiences if the Taycan stays in its present sedan form.

Looking at spy photos of the Taycan, the vehicle’s twin roof bulges — which start at the trailing edge of the windshield — would pose a problem for Porsche designers and engineers, and that’s just the start of it. If the brand goes ahead with a two-door bodystyle, the wheelbase would first need shortening. While a targa variant would be an easy thing to accomplish after that point, the move would handicap battery capacity.

Regardless, Autocar claims the variant is being readied for a 2020/2021 debut. A sport wagon version, previewed by this spring’s Mission E Cross Turismo concept, also seems likely, based on remarks made last week by Porsche finance director Lutz Meschke. However, Meschke had his sights on a bigger product: an electric SUV, which premium German automakers suddenly can’t be without.

“You can expect a SUV BEV [battery-electric vehicle] by 2022 at the latest,” he told a crowd of journalists in Germany. Meschke didn’t elaborate on where the vehicle would come from or where it would fit in the lineup. Porsche and Audi have a joint dedicated electric platform (PPE) due to arrive in 2021, so it’s possible the model won’t be an electric version of an existing model.

The finance boss wasn’t done throwing out morsels to his hungry audience. On the lower end of the lineup, “the Boxster and Cayman could be suitable for electrification,” he added. All Porsche models stand to receive some form of electrification by 2023, part of parent Volkswagen Group’s pledge to greenify its offerings.

As for the Taycan, the automaker revealed earlier this year that the production vehicle will boast an electric motor front and rear, all-wheel drive, and a combined 600 horsepower.

[Images: Porsche]