Porsche is still gradually marketing its Mission E electric vehicle a full year ahead of going into production.

Stefan Weckbach, Head of the BEV Model Series at Porsche, has now taken a few people to get test drives in the Mission E Cross Turismo in California and commented on the German automaker’s plans.

They brought the prototype of the CUV version of the Mission E to Malibu for some test drives.

Weckbach commented on the vehicle:

The road-ready Mission E Cross Turismo is a continuation of the Mission E study that we presented at the International Motor Show (IAA) in 2015. The CUV is especially interesting because some near-series elements are already being used in the interior.

Porsche released a bunch of cool new pictures of the Mission E Cross Turismo – including a few new shots of the interior mentioned by Weckbach:

Weckbach also commented on the media’s habit to call the Mission E a ‘Tesla killer’.

Like many EV enthusiasts, the executive didn’t like the term and instead had nice words to say about Tesla:

Tesla has done a wonderful job driving electric mobility.

He said that they are instead focusing on making the Mission E feel like a “real Porsche”:

Our main target is to make the Mission E become a real Porsche.

Here’s the interview:

Electrek’s Take

We have been joking about the absurdity of calling the Mission E a ‘Tesla killer’, or any EV really, ever since it was unveiled in 2015.

The Mission E should instead stand on its own and aim to convince petrolheads to go electric.

I am glad to see that Porsche seems to agree here. They have been making many similar statements lately about the electric vehicle really feeling “like a Porsche” – something you can take to the track.

If they can indeed pull it off, they could maybe convince diehard Porsche fanatics to go electric with their next vehicle and of course, they could also gain new Porsche enthusiasts, including Tesla owners, along the way.

It’s about growing the EV market and converting some gas-powered mileage into electric mileage.

No need for any vehicle trying to be a “Tesla killer”.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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