Taycan Cross Turismo

Make
Porsche
Segment
Wagon

Porsche is always experimenting with new designs, some of which become concepts. Even fewer make production. Last fall, the German carmaker revealed a series of previously unknown concepts, ranging from the Vision Spyder retro speedster to a street-legal version of the 919 hybrid Le Mans endurance racer. And then there was the Renndienst.

Designed in 2018, this full-scale "space shuttle" on four wheels was Porsche's free interpretation of a "family-friendly space concept for up to six persons." It even had a centrally-mounted driver's seat and modular cabin. Much of its inspiration came from the old Volkswagen Bus, examples of which Porsche used back in the 1950s as service vehicles for motorsport. The idea is definitely cool but it'll never make production.

Autoblog confirmed the not at all unexpected news with Porsche's head of global sales, Detlev von Platen. "We are, we were, and we still will be a sports car manufacturer. Therefore, we do not intend to go into the segment of small city cars, for example, or in segments where we could have more volume," he said. "We still are an exclusive sports car [brand], and we will go further in our development in segments where we believe that sports cars can be defined. So, going towards the minivan concept, and so on, is not our plan at all."

The wagon-like body style of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and Panamera Sport Turismo will likely be the closest we'll ever get to more spacious models.

And that's just fine because no matter what Porsche decides to do, it does extremely well. Entering a certain segment requires extensive market research. For example, Porsche is still exploring the possibility of a Taycan coupe and convertible, the latter would be the first all-electric topless luxury performance vehicle on the market.

A decision regarding fully electrifying the next-generation 718 series is expected soon. By 2030 the goal is to have at least 80 percent of its sales come from electrified vehicles, though that won't include the 911. A hybrid variant is expected by the middle of the decade but it won't take the place of the purely combustion-engined variants. Porsche officials have made clear several times the 911 will be the last vehicle it'll fully electrify, hence the reason it's developing an emissions-friendly synthetic fuel.