Source | YuanAuto

On October 16th, Porsche and Tesla, both striving to reverse their fortunes, found themselves on a collision course.

Porsche made the initial move. At 4:30 AM Beijing time, the German ultra-luxury automaker, which experienced a year-on-year decline in global sales from January to September this year, unveiled the Mission S concept car in New York. Positioned as a two-seater flagship sports car, it's noteworthy that the production model will forego a pure electric powertrain, opting instead for gasoline and hybrid variants.

By 8:55 AM Beijing time, Tesla also made its move, unveiling the new generation Roadster in Texas, USA. As a pure electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster aspires to be more than just fast. During the launch event, it showcased acrobatic maneuvers such as inverted hovering, aerial somersault landings, and spinning leaps over a fleet of cars, captivating investors and diverting attention from the slight year-on-year decline in quarterly sales reported during the third-quarter earnings call on October 21st.

Both Porsche's Mission S and Tesla's new generation Roadster are expected to take two years or more before they significantly contribute to their respective brands' sales volumes. However, the silver lining is that both vehicles have successfully ignited excitement among their brand loyalists.

Moral Victory Still Counts

"The deposit for the second Porsche Mission S has been paid!"

On domestic social media platforms, Porsche salespeople have begun sharing positive news. While it's uncertain whether this concept car has an official reservation channel, its allure to brand enthusiasts is undeniable.

Featuring a mid-engine layout, a horizontally opposed 8-cylinder engine, and a rear cooling fan reminiscent of the Porsche 917 race car, the Mission S is a dream come true for gasoline car aficionados. Porsche's commitment to this car is at an unprecedented level, eschewing its usual 'drip-feeding' approach.

Meanwhile, the Porsche Mission S's cabin eschews a large screen, relying instead on a retractable phone holder for navigation and entertainment. The tachometer in front of the steering wheel uses mechanical pointers, and the gear shift is also mechanical, emphasizing the car's departure from pure electric vehicles from the inside out.

Although the Mission S is nominally a concept car, its relatively high level of completion, both inside and out, combined with Porsche's recent pressures, suggests that its production will proceed at an accelerated pace. For context, Porsche's previous production car derived from the Mission series concept cars was the Taycan Cross Turismo, which entered production in 2021, while the corresponding Mission E Cross Turismo concept car debuted in 2018.

For Porsche, even if the production version of the Mission S, positioned as a flagship sports car, remains a niche model, achieving Ferrari-like high per-unit profit margins would still be considered a success. In contrast, the new generation Roadster's contribution to Tesla may lean more towards emotional value.

According to official information, the Rocket version of the new generation Roadster, capable of replicating the iconic 'Whirlwind Charge Tornado' takeoff from the classic anime "Four-Wheel Drive Brothers," is not available for public sale. Currently, only the Performance and Thrust versions, equipped with a negative pressure adsorption system for enhanced road grip, are open for reservations.

On the Chinese official website, the reservation deposit for the Performance version is RMB 332,000, while the Thrust version, featuring a rear-mounted booster capable of achieving a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of less than 1 second, is not open for reservations in China.

Reports suggest that the new generation Roadster will be produced at Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas, USA, in 2028. However, it's worth noting that the previous generation Roadster was unveiled by Tesla in 2017 but has yet to enter mass production.

Whether the new generation Roadster will continue to be the 'legendary jump king' remains to be seen. However, what is certain is that this car, like the Mission S, will struggle to achieve high sales volumes even if it enters production. Its primary value lies in enhancing Tesla and Porsche's appeal among their respective audiences and reducing the likelihood of brand fans being swayed by electric vehicles, particularly those from Chinese brands.

Sidestepping Direct Competition with Chinese Electric Vehicles

Porsche and Tesla's respective strategies are driven by performance pressures.

Take Porsche, for instance. According to official corporate data compiled by the Tianyancha APP, this German ultra-luxury automaker saw a 16.5% year-on-year decline in deliveries in the first half of this year, with pure electric vehicle deliveries falling by more than 30% year-on-year. Despite relatively robust operating profit during the same period, Porsche also proactively made business adjustments, including layoffs.

As for Tesla, its cumulative new car deliveries in the first three quarters of 2026 remained high, with the second quarter setting a historical record. However, operating profit significantly contracted, with Q2 operating profit even falling by more than 50% year-on-year. Behind this, in addition to Tesla's continued heavy investment in robotics and AI leading to soaring costs, there is also the impact of 'pricing for volume' on new cars.

In overseas markets, Tesla has successively launched 'affordable' versions of the Model 3 and Model Y with further price reductions in multiple markets this year. In China, this American automaker, which has long not worried about orders, has begun offering cash reductions on the remaining balance of new car purchases.

From Porsche and Tesla's specific business results in different regions this year, China and Europe emerge as the key factors impacting both automakers. In these two regions, Chinese brand electric vehicles are gaining significant traction.

There's little to say about the domestic auto market. In Europe, Chinese brand electric vehicles have begun to overshadow Tesla this year.

Data shows that BYD registered 26,017 units in the EU in May this year, with a cumulative registration volume of 99,578 units from January to May, surpassing Tesla in both indicators.

It's clear that to maintain business scale and even continue to grow amid the increasing competitiveness of Chinese brand electric vehicles in both domestic and overseas markets, overseas brand automakers need some innovative strategies. Porsche's return to gasoline cars and Tesla's application of aerospace technology from its sibling company SpaceX to its new cars are strategies worth considering for overseas competitors.

At the very least, avoiding direct competition with Chinese electric vehicles in terms of 'refrigerators, color TVs, and big sofas' (referring to the focus on home-like comfort features in some Chinese EVs) offers a higher chance of success.

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