stout

EDIT: I'll be updating this thread as I can with behind-the-wheel impressions from here in Europe—which start tomorrow but my ability to post them will be delayed by embargoes. I think the "second wind" of this thread will start on page 4/post 55, if you want to skip ahead of my initial impressions in Atlanta below. And, if you've got questions, please feel free to ask them—I'll do my best to get answers while here.

So that Rennlist’s Taycan Forum has all of the press images and facts as the press embargo I've been under lifts, I thought I’d post them here—and add something more from my trip to Atlanta for 000.

Having been a passenger in a Taycan Turbo S at the PECATL track, I can say my grimace at its 5,100+ pound curb weight during the press conference and obvious worries were obliterated by the way the thing felt on track—at least from the passenger seat. I’ve tested a lot of Porsches since 1994, when I started testing them as part of my work. And then I say “tested,” that typically means hundreds or even thousands of miles at speed in each car—often with time on track or in other extreme conditions, this in everything from 993s to CGTs to 918s to GT3s and GT2s as well as brilliant “simple” sports cars…Boxsters, Caymans, and GT4s plus too many flavors of the Carrera to list. And, of course, the various 4-door Porsches since the E1 Cayenne.

This is something different—from all of the above. In line, yet entirely new.

Insane acceleration, I expected. But the speed, transitional stability, and agility in a tight right-left-right-left section on throttle caught me out completely, as did the perceived weight of the car—even under braking. I suspect this has a lot to do with where the weight is. I’ll have to wait until I drive a Taycan later this month to see if the sensations in the passenger seat were in fact indicative of the feel and feedback behind the wheel, but my first impression is that this EV is going to catch more than a few enthusiasts out.

While we didn’t see the exterior or complete interior in final form in Atlanta, we did see the final dashboard—which is beautifully turned out. The screens, vents, and other elements displayed innovative thinking, and I’ll be curious to see if the UI is as intelligent as some of the hardware and styling I saw. The dash vents you see use flaps in the tubes behind their faces to alter the path of the airflow, and have three presets: diffused (you don’t feel the air flow), focused (you feel the air flow), or custom (you set it up, using the touch screen to direct air where you want it). I saw other evidence of new thinking, but need to spend time with the car to render a judgement on the UI. Materials looked superb—and yes, that optional second dash screen on the right can be configured to be a second map (close-up view, next destination, Street View, etc.), phone, a DJ station for the passenger to manage, or something else.

Range is going to be a major talking point, as will the charging infrastructure—areas where Tesla has established a clear lead. It will be interesting to see how Porsche’s strategy here plays out. I also suspect Porsche’s pricing strategy will be a big point of discussion, particularly since it is rolling out the tip top of the range first. One marker will be how many of the 30,000 orders drop off, and how many are added.

It’s hard for me to speak too much about styling, as the Taycans we saw were still disguised and I’ve never been one to judge a car’s styling from photos alone. I can, however, say this: The car’s proportions in person will catch a lot of people out. Thanks to its width, height, and length, it seems more "sports car” than sedan, more 911 than Panamera. If its look had a sound, it would be Unforgiven by Rüfüs du Sol. I had a feeling it might look low after seeing prototypes around Weissach while road-testing other cars in the area, but I wasn’t really prepared for just how low the car looked when you’re standing next to it. This was a black Taycan on black wheels, so perhaps a Taycan in a lighter color won’t feel quite as extreme? We’ll soon see.

Two other items that stood out to me were the brake system—Porsche says regen should handle 90% of braking in normal use, moving pad changes to an anticipated six-year interval—and the sound of the thing. My first thought: It’s a seductive sound. Different than internal combustion, to be sure, but a sound all its own.

I’m hesitant to go too much further, as the proof of a Porsche for me is always in the driving, but color me a lover of carbureted Porsches, turbo Porsches, and 9000-rpm Porsches who is very interested in this development. It was a 918 Spyder in e-Power mode on a fast (!) run on a tight back road that opened my eyes to what an electric Porsche might be like. When many of my colleagues were saying they wanted to try the 918 without the hybrid gear, I felt the opposite. I wanted to try the 918 without the V8. We’d had decades of gasoline mid-engined sports cars and exotics, and here was something new—but it was still compromised in some ways, a step rather than a solution.

And now here we are. The Taycan is no mid-motored two-seater, to be sure, but it is the first full EV in the way of Porsche. To say I am curious to drive it is quite an understatement…

Best,

Pete







World premiere of the Porsche Taycan: The sports car for a sustainable future

Purist design and full electric drive

Niagara Falls, Canada. Porsche presented its first fully-electric sports car to the public today with a world premiere held simultaneously on three continents. "The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand – a brand that has fascinated and thrilled people the world over for more than 70 years," said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, who opened the world premiere in Berlin, "This day marks the start of a new era."

The four-door sports sedan is a unique package, offering characteristic Porsche performance and connectivity with everyday usability. At the same time, highly advanced production methods and the features of the Taycan are setting new standards in the fields of sustainability and digitalization. “We promised a true Porsche for the age of electric mobility – a fascinating sports car that not only excites in terms of its technology and driving dynamics, but also sparks a passion in people all over the world, just like its legendary predecessors have done. Now we are delivering on this promise,” emphasizes Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG – Research and Development.

The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo. They are at the cutting edge of Porsche E-Performance and are among the most powerful production models that the sports car manufacturer currently has in its product range. Less powerful variants of these all-wheel drive vehicles will follow this year, and the first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year. By 2022, Porsche will have invested more than 6.6 billion dollars in electric mobility.

Performance meets efficiency

The flagship Turbo S version of the Taycan can generate up to 750 horsepower (560 kW) of power in combination with Launch Control and overboost, while the Taycan Turbo can produce up to 670 horsepower (500 kW). The Taycan Turbo S will therefore accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, while the Taycan Turbo can complete this sprint in 3.0 seconds. The top track speed of both all-wheel-drive models is 161 mph.

The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the commonly used 400 volts for electric cars. This is a particular advantage for Taycan drivers on the road: under ideal conditions, the charging time from five to 80 percent State of Charge (SoC) is just 22.5 minutes, with a maximum charging power (peak) of up to 270 kW. The overall capacity of the 800V high voltage battery is 93.4 kWh. Taycan drivers can comfortably charge their cars with up to 9.6 kW of alternating current (AC) at home using a standard SAE J1772 connector.

The EPA range estimate for North American market is pending for both vehicles.

Pure exterior design with Porsche DNA

With its clean, pure-Porsche design, the Taycan ushers in a new era. At the same time, it retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front, it looks particularly wide and flat with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roofline sloping downward to the rear. The highly sculpted side sections are also a strong characteristic of Porsche styling. The sleek cabin, the drawn-in rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the rear /wings result in a sharply emphasized rear, typical of the brand. There are also innovative elements such as the glass-look Porsche logo, which has been integrated into the light bar at the rear. With a coefficient of drag value as low as 0.22, the aerodynamically optimized basic shape makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption and thus long range.



Unique interior design with a wide display screen band

The cockpit signals the start of a new era of interior design at Porsche with its clear structure and a completely new architecture. The free-standing, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. This places a clear focus on the driver axis. A central, 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look. All user interfaces have been designed from scratch for the Taycan. The number of classic hardware controls such as switches and buttons has been greatly reduced. Instead, control is intelligent and intuitive – using touch operation or the voice control function, which responds to the command “Hey Porsche”.

With the Taycan, Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior option for the first time. Interiors made from innovative recycled materials underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car. “Foot garages” – recesses in the battery in the rear foot well – ensure seating comfort for rear seat passengers while allowing the typically low roof height found on sports cars. Two luggage compartments are available: the front compartment has a capacity of 2.8 cubic feet and the rear 12.9 cubic feet.

Innovative drive motors and a two-speed transmission

The Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo have two exceptionally efficient electric ma- chines, one on the front axle and one on the rear axle, thus making the cars all-wheel drive. Both the range and the continuous power of the drive system benefit from the highly efficient permanently excited synchronous machines. The electric machine, transmission and pulse-controlled inverter are each combined into a compact drive module. The modules have the highest power density (kW per cubic foot of package space) of all electric powertrains on the market today. A special feature of the electric motors are the "hairpin" windings of the stator coils. This technology makes it possible to incorporate more copper in the stator, increasing power output and torque while maintaining the same component volume. The two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear lets the Taycan prioritize acceleration from a standing start, while second gear, with its long gear ratio, ensures high efficiency and equally high power reserves while traveling at high speeds.

Centrally-networked chassis systems

Porsche uses a centrally-networked control system for the Taycan chassis. The integrated Porsche 4D Chassis Control analyses and synchronizes all chassis systems in real time. The innovative chassis systems include adaptive air suspension with three- chamber technology including PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) electronic damper control, as well as the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) electromechanical roll stabilization system including Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus). The all-wheel drive control with two electric motors and the recuperation system are unique. At up to 265 kW, the potential recuperation power is significantly higher than that of competitors. Driving tests have shown that approximately 90 percent of everyday braking is performed by the electric machines alone – without the hydraulic brake system being activated.

Multiple driving modes allow drivers to tailor their experience on the road. The different mode profiles follow the same philosophy as in other Porsche model series, but is supplemented by a special setting which maximizes efficient operation. The four driving modes that are available include “Normal”, “Sport”, “Sport Plus”, and “Range”. In addition, individual systems can be configured as required in the “Individual” mode.

A world premiere on three continents at the same time

The world premiere of the Porsche Taycan took place simultaneously in North America, China, and Europe. The most important sales markets of the new electric sports car are on these three continents. The event locations are also a synonym for three ways of sustainable energy management: Niagara Falls at the border between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario representing hydropower, a solar farm in Neuhardenberg near Berlin representing solar power and a wind farm on Pingtan Island, less than a mile from the Chinese city of Fuzhou in the province of Fujian representing wind power. We perceive these natural forces with all our senses in exactly the same way as we experience the impressive power delivery of the first all-electric sports car from Porsche. This one-time triple event was broadcast worldwide via live stream on NewsTV.porsche.com.

stout

Official specs...

stout

And the rest of the press images…​​​​​​​

yvesvidal

I wonder how they will "downgrade" the interior and external appearance of the Base model? All the pictures we see are for the high-end car costing close to $195,000.
Maybe the extra screens will be removed on the Base Model, as well as the matching body paint on the wheels...? Who knows.

Yves

Needsdecaf

yes and yes. Second screen already said to be optional and those wheels are certainly a $5k option.

destaccado

Taycan = Trashcan

...as in, I hope Porsche can convert that factory to produce something else or they've just tossed a lot of money in the trash.

Crazy how the same company that just released the GT4 and Spyder managed to spend billions and still be so far behind Tesla.

yvesvidal

Still, to get from $195K down to the promised $85K, that is a lot of equipment to be removed..... Hopefully, they will leave some kind of seating inside and a small battery :-)

Yves

Needsdecaf

Pete, thanks for your thoughts. Looking forward to your driving impressions as well. If you could please do your normal post and question format, I'm sure all would appreciate it!

I'm not surprised by your impressions. EV's have some inherent benefits to the low weight. Even Tesla, with it's relatively crude suspension on the Model 3 Performance, is an agile and very fun car. Porsche dialing it in with their technology was bound to make the ride / handling amazing.

But at what price? I see this thing is priced on top of the Panamera Turbo S E Hybrid? That's pretty dear. In order to really advance sales, they are going to have to be a lot closer to $100k. So that means a 4S (lower performance motors) and how will it ride on the base steel suspension? Or do they all get air suspension?

destaccado

5100 lbs

1000 lbs more than a Model 3?

Centx

Given the interior, I expected it to be more. Plastic is light.

LionelB

Having a hard to get excited about any EV, including this one.

stout

My face exactly when I saw that figure...

You're welcome, and will do.

I would've loved to be in the room for the discussions on price point—and suspect one of the questions was whether the Taycan's price point should legitimize Tesla as the premium brand in the segment and/or benchmark. Another may have had to do with the Taycan's performance relative to other Porsches, including the sports cars (probably an interesting debate all its own), and/or other developments to come—as well as early production capacity vs over the longer haul.

-eztrader-

Very spendy, doesn't look nearly as good as the concept and my god. . . 5100 lbs? - instant pass for me

destaccado

It's up on the German website in the configurator.

Starting from 152.000 euros - GT3 money

Needsdecaf

That weight does suck, but as Pete said, it's negated by the low COG and the tech. So I'm not as worried about it from a performance standpoint. Must be hurting the crap out of the range though.