With the Mission E expected to start production next year, Porsche is steadily ramping up its marketing efforts for its Tesla Model S-rivaling all-electric car. Just recently, Porsche opted to feature Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine as its latest endorser for the all-electric sedan.
Unlike Mark Webber, a former Formula One driver who recently took a Mission E prototype around the track, Porsche opted to give Adam Levine a hands-on experience with the Mission E concept car, a vehicle that has drawn eyes since it debuted in 2015 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Despite not being fully affiliated with Porsche like Webber, however, Levine is still a hardcore Porsche enthusiast, driving to the track in his beloved 1958 356A Porsche Speedster. During his segment in the promotional video, Levine stated that ultimately, the Mission E is every bit a Porsche as the company’s other offerings.
“Porsche people are not normal, because we want more out of driving. The problem with electric cars last time was that they just don’t have a soul. They don’t have a beating heart. This one actually does, which is amazing to me,” Levine said.
Porsche’s test drive video is not the only time that Levine brushed shoulders with the all-electric sedan, however. In a recent episode of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke featuring the singer, the Mission E concept car made a cameo as the late-night host and the Maroon 5 frontman were racing around on the track.
Overall, Porsche’s decision to utilize Levine as its celebrity endorser for the Mission E is a step in the right direction. Porsche, after all, has a hardcore fanbase that values its classic, iconic, ICE-based performance. Considering that the Mission E is the company’s first all-electric vehicle, Porsche needs a familiar face that its fans can relate too. Adam Levine, a self-confessed Porsche enthusiast, definitely fits the bill.
Levine is no stranger to electric cars. The Maroon 5 frontman also owns a Tesla Model X. Levine’s Model X caught headlines in the entertainment and auto world back in 2016, when the all-electric SUV was rear-ended by a Ferrari. The Model X only ended up with minor damages, however, and Levine and his then-pregnant wife Victoria’s Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo drove away in their Tesla afterward.
Adam Levine with the Porsche Mission E concept car. [Credit: Porsche]
While Porsche is steadily ramping up its marketing efforts for the Mission E, the company is currently dealing with a sales halt in Europe over the region’s new emissions standards. As we noted in a recent report, interested buyers who access Porsche’s online configurator in Europe are prompted that a “pending model revision” is currently ongoing and that none of the company’s lineup of vehicles are freely configurable. Porsche’s cars that will be produced according to the EU’s new emissions standards, such as the Panamera and the Cayenne, are expected to be unavailable until March 2019.
The Porsche Mission E is expected to hit the market sometime next year. The vehicle is equipped with specs that rival the Tesla Model S, with its 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 155 mph, and a range of 310 miles per charge. The Mission E is also designed to support Porsche’s IONITY chargers, which are expected to have an output of 350 kW.
Watch Levine’s test drive of the Porsche Mission E concept car in the video below.
See the Porsche Mission E concept car’s cameo in the recent Carpool Karaoke episode in the video below.
