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Porsche won’t build the heritage-laced Renndienst minivan concept

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Porsche shed light on several never-before-seen unbuilt prototypes in late 2020, including the Renndienst minivan concept inspired by the Volkswagen Bus-based race service vehicles it used during the 1950s. While we could get used to the idea of a futuristic-looking van with a Porsche crest on its nose, we learned the design study will not reach production.

“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. 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,” Detlev von Platen, Porsche’s head of global sales, told Autoblog.

His comments suggest that the brand sees the Taycan Cross Turismo and the Panamera Sport Turismo — which both exist at the intersection of station wagons and sports cars — as the outer limits of utilitarianism. Von Platen didn’t rule out expanding into other segments, however, and an earlier report revealed that a coupe and a convertible built on the Taycan’s J1 platform are still on the table, though, crucially, neither has been approved yet.

Many of the upcoming additions to the Porsche range will be electric, and the company expects that at least 80% of its sales will come from electrified cars in 2030. The 911 will be part of the non-electrified 20%, though hybrid variants are coming. Which side of the spectrum the 718 duo will fall on isn’t clear yet, however.

The decision not to greenlight the Renndienst van pretty much means that the upcoming Hyundai Staria has cornered the market on futuristic minivans.

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