► A new virtual only Porrsche
► £13bn investment, four new concepts revealed
► Plus plans to introduce solid state batteries in 2028
Porsche is the latest manufacturer to create an all-new concept, specifically for use in Gran Turismo. Available exclusively in Gran Turismo 5 (out on next year on the PS5 and PS4) the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo follows the 917 Living Legend, but is the first car to be designed purposely for videogame use. It’s been teased on the cover of the new Gran Turismo game for a while, but it’s just been revealed in full at the Gran Turismo World Final.
Stuttgart’s vision for Gran Turismo took around two and a half years in total, and in that time countless decisions on form, function and of course powertrain were made. The result? A nimble-looking, dynamic sports car that has hints of other recent concepts. And like the Mission R, it’s electric too.
When coming up with the Vision GT, Porsche’s designers chose to look back to nimble, small cars like the 356. ‘We thought okay, let’s go back to those values a bit,’ the car’s exterior designer, Ingo Bauer-Scheinhütte, told CAR. ‘Let’s do something that feels compact that isn’t, isn’t too extreme, but makes you just want to drive the car.’
With that in mind, the Porsche’s latest concept is both low, compact and electric. Look around the car and there’s bits of Taycan, bits of 919 Hybrid, and also bits of new design entirely. Movable aero is designed to optimise downforce for the driving conditions, and there’s also a continuous rear light that moves like a rear wing.
‘This time, we did it a bit differently,’ Bauer-Scheinhütte explains. ‘That is actually the rear spoiler, and of course it’s moving.’
And what about inside?
The interior is still very futuristic but also Porsche. Even more wrapped around the driver than before, though the instrumentation now benefits from projection. It’s sci-fi, but also looks like it’d be more useful than a traditional rev counter.
What’s the point in all this?
Like other brands such as BMW and Toyota, Porsche sees Esports as a new opportunity to capture fans, support existing customers and access an entirely new market. For Porsche the benefits are three-fold.
If you look at our current buying demographic and what they do in that pastime, there is a steady rise you know, in gaming as a normal hobby that they do in the last couple of years,’ explain Porsche’s marketing man Deniz Keskin.
‘I think affinity for brands and affinity for cars is very strong building that computer game. And by the way, not only in the racing genre, because there are also other games like Cyberpunk that have been active this year,’ Keskin adds. ‘Gaming as a cultural booster is really important.’
‘And the third thing is you know, we are a brand that is about realising dreams. There’s a lot of storytelling we can do that otherwise would be very different. These elements combined really show why gaming and our dedication to the gaming community is so important.
Gran Turismo 7 is on sale 4th March 2022, and will include the Porsche Vision GT.