Say Hello To The Porsche Taycan: Mission E Has A Brand New Name

What do you make of that name?

As the Porsche Mission E continues to get closer to production, we figured the name Porsche has used for its first fully electric model was already set in stone. Instead, Porsche has announced that the production Mission E will actually use a new name: Taycan. Roughly translated, the word means "lively young horse" in German, which likely references the horse in the Porsche crest. "Our new electric sports car is strong and dependable; it's a vehicle that can consistently cover long distances and that epitomizes freedom," Porsche chief Oliver Blume said in a statement.

The Taycan has been one of the most hotly anticipated cars of the decade, and this new name only makes us even more excited. The most powerful variant will use two synchronous electric motors producing more than 600 horsepower. Porsche expects the Taycan to do 0 to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and have a driving range of more than 300 miles on a single charge. There will likely be different versions of the Taycan, including one based on the Mission E Cross Turismo Concept. The Taycan will be Porsche's first all-electric model, which will be followed up by more electrified cars. By 2025, 25% of all Porsche cars will be fully-electric or hybrid.

The name change from Mission E to Taycan makes a lot of sense. Mission E sounded cool, but it didn't share much connection with the rest of the Porsche lineup. The name Taycan will fit in nicely with the Macan, Cayenne, Cayman, Boxster, and Panamera, while the 911 retains in its own unique numeric naming scheme.

BMW M5 Getting Special Mission: Impossible Edition In Japan

Both the new M5 and standard 5-Series are getting the Mission: Impossible treatment.

In the film industry, there was a time when BMW supplied cars to the James Bond franchise, but more recently the Bavarian automaker’s cars have featured prominently in the Mission Impossible spy series. This month’s release of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the sixth film in the long-running franchise, will be no different, as Tom Cruise will be driving the new F90 BMW M5. To celebrate this collaboration, BMW is launching a special “Mission Impossible” edition of both the new BMW 5 Series and the M5.

Unusually, however, both models will only be available in Japan. Dubbed the BMW M5 Edition Mission: Impossible, the special edition M car is based on the M5 Competition model, which means its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 has been tuned to deliver 617 hp, enabling the super sedan to hit 62 mph in 3.3 seconds. It’s finished exclusively in Singapore Grey, matching the car that features in the movie. Further distinguishing the special edition sedan are blacked-out kidney grilles and side mirror caps, and a “Mission Impossible” sticker adorning the B-pillar. Inside, the interior is adorned with piano trim and Merino leather.

Pricing starts from 19,640,000 yen ($177,587) in Japan excluding tax, insurance and other expenses. It’s just a shame it can’t be remotely driven like the movie car. The BMW 5-Series Edition Mission: Impossible, on the other hand, is finished in Black Sapphire complemented with an M Performance kidney grille, ‘Mission: Impossible’ sticker on the B pillar and 19-inch alloy wheels. Inside the cabin you’ll find Dakota leather in black along with BMW Individual trims. Both the standard sedan sedan and Touring models are getting the Mission Impossible treatment, which will be available for the 523i, 523d and 530i models.

Pricing for the 5-Series starts at 7,950,000 Yen ($71,885) for the 523i and goes up to 8,830,000 Yen ($79,800) for the 530i. Both cars are available in both left- and right-hand drive specifications. As well as the new M5, Tom Cruise will also be careering through the streets of Paris in a 1986 BMW 5 Series Sedan during a tense chase scene.

Why 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' Used A Classic BMW 5 Series For The Incredible Car Chase

Tom Cruise pushes an E28 BMW 5 Series to its limit in the sixth installment of the action movie franchise.

If you’ve seen Mission Impossible: Fallout, you probably noticed that BMWs feature prominently in the action scenes. The Bavarian automaker has a long-established partnership with the Mission: Impossible franchise and the latest film is no exception. The brand-new BMW M5 makes its cinematic debut in Mission: Impossible Fallout, but it’s sadly limited to a few minutes of screen time being remotely driven by Benji, played by Simon Pegg.

Instead, the film’s star car is a classic 1986 E28 BMW 5 Series, which you can see taking some serious punishment in a new behind the scenes video released by BMW. As usual, Tom Cruise did his own stunt driving and pushed the old BMW to its limit, drifting around the streets of Paris, driving between narrow pillars, and jumping down stairs.

“We’re looking at all sorts of things, “oh, it’d be great to get something classic,” and we’re all talking,” the film’s stunt coordinator, Wade Eastwood, said in a recent interview with Jalopnik when explaining why the team chose the car for the film’s central chase scene in Paris. “It came in this really weird green color, and it came to my workshop first. And they said, “oh yeah we’re probably going to spray it another color,” and I’m like, “don’t touch it.” Christopher McQuarrie, the film’s director, thought the color choice was “risky,” but it perfectly complemented the cobbled streets of Paris and the textures and tones at the time of year.

“Five or six” stunt cars were used for the scene, and the stunt driver even rolled one of them while rehearsing the jump down the stairs, so the suspension was modified for the final stunt to stop it rolling. The other cars were mostly stock apart from modifications to the handbrake so they “didn’t rip the handbrake out.”

The superbly shot car chase is just one part of an elaborate action sequence that starts with Cruise evading Paris police in a box truck before switching to a BMW R nineT motorcycle and finally the E28 BMW 5 Series. The bike sequence is arguably the most nail-biting part, which sees Cruise driving against oncoming traffic around the Arc de Triomphe without wearing a helmet. You have to respect Cruise risking his life at the age of 56 doing all his own stunts for real.

Edgar Wright's Baby Driver had by far the best movie car chase of 2017, and Mission: Impossible might end up being our favorite chase scene of 2018 thanks to Cruise’s impressive stunt driving and Christopher McQuarrie's slick direction devoid of quick cuts and unnecessary shaky cam.

Expect The Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo To Debut In 2021

Is the world ready for an "off-road" Taycan?

Porsche surprised everyone when it revealed its Mission E Cross Turismo concept at Geneva a few months ago. Needless to say, not everyone was a fan of the off-road influenced all-electric wagon. But one look at the concept suggests it won’t remain a concept for long due to a design that looks, more or less, nearly ready to hit the road. And so it shall. According to Automobile Magazine, who learned the information from suppliers, the production-spec Cross Turismo will go on sale in late 2021.

Interestingly, the car’s project leader admitted the official production green light has yet to be given. Still, the fact Porsche is already conducting prototype media drives speaks volumes regarding production intent. As expected, it’ll share most of its hardware, entire platform and battery tech with the also upcoming Taycan all-electric sedan, formerly called the Mission E. Sources further claim the final design for both vehicles was locked down last year, hence Porsche’s confidence in showing a near-ready production vehicle. We don’t know yet whether a name change is in order. Automobile Mag also had the chance to partake in a prototype test drive and, in short, came away unconvinced it’ll have broad appeal to American buyers.

Reason being is its lack of real off-road capabilities and wagon-like appearance. For example, the Cross Turismo sits just as low as a Panamera at 55.9 inches despite those black plastic wheel arches and other body kit enhancements. But remember, this was only a prototype drive. We’re still three years out from the real deal, so it’s entirely possible Porsche will once again surprise us with some relevant off-road improvements.

Tom Cruise Will Drive The New BMW M5 In Mission Impossible Fallout

With Tom Cruise doing his own stunt driving, it should get a through workout.

There was a time when BMWs featured prominently in James Bond films during the Pierce Brosnan era. These days, however, the Bavarian automaker supplies cars to another spy action film franchise. We’re talking of course about the Mission Impossible series. BMW has partnered with the film series since 2011’s Ghost Protocol, which previewed the i8 in concept form. Once again, the automaker provided a range of vehicles for the forthcoming Mission Impossible Fallout film releasing in cinemas July 27.

We’ve already seen a classic 5 Series tearing through the streets of Paris in recent trailers, and now BMW has confirmed the brand new M5 will also feature prominently in the film. With Tom Cruise famous for doing his own stunt driving, it should get a thorough workout in numerous action scenes. The car in the film features an assortment of BMW M Performance Parts, including carbon fiber mirror caps and a black kidney grille. Thanks to its M xDrive all-wheel drive system, BMW says the M5 “makes sure that Cruise’s Ethan Hunt always has the best-possible traction and superior driving dynamics to keep him ahead of his enemies.”

A new video released by BMW gives us a glimpse of the M5’s role in the film. Intriguingly, one shot shows the 600-hp super sedan being remotely driven by Simon Pegg’s character Benji using a smartphone or tablet. It looks a lot like the destructive car park chase sequence in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, where Bond used his phone to remotely drive a E38 BMW 750iL.

It should be fun to see the idea revisited in Mission Impossible Fallout, even if it's not very original. A BMW R nineT Scrambler motorcycle will also feature in key scenes “performing daring maneuvers at rapid speed in a wild chase through Paris”. The BMW we’ve already see being put through its paces in the trailer is a 1986 BMW 5 Series Sedan, which “makes a major appearance in a high-octane scene which sets a new standard for the action-film genre”.

Bentley EV Sedan Flagship Coming Based On The Porsche Mission E

The famed luxury brand understands it needs to ditch its old-world image.

According to Evo, Bentley has begun initial design and development work on an all-new four-door coupe EV flagship based on the same platform underpinning the 2019 Porsche Mission E. No one should be surprised, especially since Bentley wants to go beyond its “old-world image.” It’s also very helpful being part of the Volkswagen Group, which also includes Porsche. Making further use of that large car EV platform is simply another way the German automaker can (hopefully) earn even greater returns on a very pricey investment.

Bentley has already gone on record it will offer electrified versions of its entire lineup by 2025, but this new EV flagship is in addition to that. No specific date was give regarding its potential launch. The British automaker understands the necessity to reposition itself as both a luxury and a technology brand going forward. There was some early discussion about this new EV being an SUV, but the idea was quickly shot down. Auto Express also recently spoke with Bentley Design Director Stefan Sielaff, the apparent source of the EV sedan’s existence, stated that it “Should be a vehicle that contains a certain coupe-style or sportivity, and also a certain elegance. I don’t think it should be something that is raised high, like an SUV.”

Or, more simply, a sexy, low-slung four-door coupe is the way to go. It’s also a possibility this EV could become a two-door coupe instead, but the SUV option is clearly out. Although the Mission E platform and other essential components are available to Bentley, there’s a slight problem Sielaff and his team will need to figure out: proportions. Bentleys typically have a long dash-to-axle ratio and a big and bold grille, two elements that won’t be easy to install on the Mission E platform. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a design challenge with potentially very creative solutions.

You'll Be Seeing A Lot Of BMW Action In Mission: Impossible Fallout

Massive respect for Tom Cruise who once again did all of his own stunt driving.

Car product placement has become increasingly prevalent and lucrative in Hollywood. This month, you’ll see the new Lexus LC 500 make its cinematic debut in Marvel’s Black Panther. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Veloster will see some action in the upcoming Ant Man sequel—Ant Man and the Wasp. But one of this year’s most anticipated action movies is Mission: Impossible Fallout, the sixth movie in the long-running spy franchise scheduled for release in July, and it will once again showcase Tom Cruise driving Bimmers and Beemers to the absolute limit.

The studio behind the film recently dropped an action-packed trailer featuring Cruise careening through Paris streets during a high-speed car chase in a classic E28 BMW 5 Series. Behind the scenes footage last year showed Cruise doing a reverse 180 down some stairs and dashing between pillars in the 5 Series. These scenes are previewed in the trailer.

It's not just kidney-grilled cars in the flick, either. Cruise rides a BMW R Nine T motorcycle in the trailer in his attempts to evade Paris police. This isn’t the first time BMW has paid for placement in the Mission: Impossible franchise. The German automaker used Ghost Protocol as a platform to promote the i8 hybrid sports car in 2014, while Rogue Nation brought a BMW S 1000 RR to the silver screen in 2011, along with a BMW M3 driven to its ultimate end. Cruise is renowned for doing his own daring stunts; Mission: Impossible Fallout is no exception. You have to respect the 55-year-old actor for putting his life at risk when most actors would simply rely on a dedicated lookalike stuntman.

Cruise reportedly broke his ankle for the newest film during a shot that saw him leap from on building to another. And if you didn’t think he could top the scary stunt in Rogue Nation that saw him clinging onto a plane as it took off, think again. In Fallout, he ups the ante even further by performing a dizzying 360-degree spin in a helicopter while another chases him close behind. This would be a dangerous stunt for experienced pilots, let alone for Cruise who also has to act his role at the same time. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible Fallout opens in theaters July 27.