Porsche Sort of, Maybe Teases the Taycan

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Even though Porsche’s September Taycan debut is set in stone, it just can’t help itself with the teasers. While the images probably won’t mirror the production version exactly (that paint job certainly won’t fly), Porsche seems to be implying the bodywork seen here is headed for the assembly line.

From what we can see, there’s a lot left over from the Mission E. The overall look has softened slightly, but the broader strokes of the concept vehicle remain largely intact. Take the headlamps, for example. The overall shape has changed, resulting in something more in line with the rest of the brand’s lineup. However, they maintain the same bulb layout as the Mission E.

The rest of the car follows a similar logic, with Porsche turning down the aggression to deliver something that doesn’t look terribly different than the various Taycan test mules we’ve seen milling around the globe (see above).

Additional technical details were nonexistent in Porsche’s latest announcement. Still, the company did take the opportunity to remind the world of its commitment to electrification. Porsche anticipates more than 50 percent of its new vehicles sales will “have an electrical drive” as early as 2025. While that probably encompasses hybrids, it still represents a big change for the company in a ludicrously short timespan.

The Taycan will also debut Volkswagen Group’s 800-volt charging system. Assuming you can find a compatible fast charger, 80 percent of the Taycan’s battery can be restored in about 15 minutes. From there, owners can see how fast they can deplete it using the car’s claimed 600 horsepower.

As for Porsche’s pricing and trim strategy, that remains a mystery. The brand has “Turbo” variants of already turbocharged models, so anything goes at this point. Unofficially, we’ve heard the Taycan will start a few grand below $90,000. Thus far, the manufacturer has received around 20,000 deposits for the car and has promised to increase production to 40,000 units in the first model year.

[Images: Porsche]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

More by Matt Posky

Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
  • Jatz Jatz on Mar 18, 2019

    That paint job is too reminiscent of those neon drizzles something like an S-10 or Geo Storm would have.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
Next