Porsche has revealed the Mission S, a concept that previews a new flagship supercar destined to sit above the 911 as a permanent member of the lineup rather than a limited-run special. It is mid-engined and is not simply another 911 variant, though Porsche has not yet said when the production car arrives, what it will cost, or whether it will be electric or combustion powered.
Instead of chasing headline numbers, the concept concentrates on how the driver interacts with the car: a cockpit that mixes old-school sports car rituals with modern technology, laid out in detail by Tobias Sühlmann, Head of Style at Porsche, in a walkaround video.
The production car's powertrain, on-sale date and price have not been announced. What Porsche has confirmed is positioning and hardware direction: the platform is being engineered to support a manual gearbox alongside the PDK dual-clutch the concept wears, with a third pedal depending on customer demand.
One button to silence the electronics
A dedicated red button on the steering wheel activates an 'On your own' mode that switches off the driver assistance systems in one press, no menu diving required.
That is a pointed answer to a real trend: assistance systems grow more intrusive with every generation, nudging the wheel and pinging warnings. A physical kill switch treats the driver as the default, not the exception.
Your phone is the infotainment
There is no permanently integrated central touchscreen and no passenger display. Instead there is a retractable holder compatible with Apple's MagSafe, so the driver's own phone serves as the navigation and information display and disappears when it is not wanted.
The My Porsche app unlocks the car's functions and allows the digital instrument graphics to be customised with heritage-inspired designs.
Porsche is not abandoning screens, it is refusing to duplicate one the owner already carries. The idea has history in the Volkswagen Group, appearing years ago on the VW up!, and even entry-level Dacias use a similar setup.
A gear lever you can feel, and maybe a clutch pedal
The Mission S has a height-adjustable gear lever built around tactile feedback, so selection feels physical rather than like another digital command. The concept uses a PDK, but Porsche has confirmed the platform is engineered for a manual too, with production hinging on how many buyers ask for one.
At a time when rivals replace conventional controls with touch surfaces, a substantial lever is a deliberate statement, and a proper manual would be the natural next step.
The key slot returns
A specially designed aluminium key slots into a holder to the left of the steering wheel, the traditional Porsche layout rooted in endurance racing. Zuffenhausen deleted the feature from the 911 facelift, so its return here is a small but pointed gesture.
Gauges that physically move
The five round instruments blend classic sports car styling with digital function. The central tachometer carries a real analog needle over a digital display, and depending on the driving mode it physically moves closer to the driver to make engine speed easier to read. The surrounding instruments also rearrange, sitting side by side or stacking behind one another as the mode demands.
The comparison that comes to mind is the Lexus LFA's movable display, but Porsche's version makes digital tech feel mechanical rather than merely animated.
Seats, buckles and a fan with a pedigree
The sports seats carry an integrated seatbelt buckle in the centre bolster, a motorsport-inspired layout that cleans up the cabin, and the electric seat controls have been repositioned. Whether the buckle survives to production is an open question.
At the rear, a central fan pays tribute to the 917 and works as a functional cooling solution rather than a retro flourish, echoing the race car that cemented Porsche's endurance racing reputation. It fits the concept's habit of putting functional hardware on display instead of hiding it.
