THE AGE OF ELECTRIC DRIVE
The long awaited Porsche Taycan, Porsche’s first electric car, has finally arrived in Hong Kong, with the debut of its flagship Turbo S version.
The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand.
─ Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG
Sustainability and environmental protection are key focuses of today’s society, including the automotive industry. When speaking of electric cars, one would naturally think of the American Tesla, yet its status will soon be challenged by the debut of the new Porsche Taycan – Porsche’s first electric sports car after 5 years of development.
Having established its status in the sport s-car hall of fame, Porsche has been developing the Mission E electric concept car since 2015. After a long wait, Porsche finally debuted its first fully-electric sports car – the Porsche Taycan last September, which arrived in Hong Kong last month. “This day marks the start of a new era,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, who opened the world premiere in Berlin.
The four-door sports saloon is a unique package with a Turkic name – Taycan: meaning “soul of a spirited young horse”, which also represents the horse on the Porsche crest. “We promised a true Porsche for the age of electromobility – 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,” emphasises 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, while the new entrylevel Taycan 4S will follow shortly.
Marking the beginning of a new era, the Taycan retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA at the same time. From the front it looks particularly wide and flat with highly contoured wings, with a silhouette sloping downward to the rear. The sleek cabin, the drawnin rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply emphasised rear, typical of the brand. There are also innovative elements such as the 4-point LED Matrix System headlights, contributing to a dynamic design.
As usual, the cockpit of Taycan has a low ground clearance that adds to the aerodynamics of the car, yet ensures sitting comfort in the rear with a surprisingly wide legroom. The panoramic glass sunroof above makes the Taycan feel like a mini-SUV. The freestanding, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard, placing 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, adding a science fiction twist.
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”, making the Taycan more digitalised and state-of-the-art.
What gives the Taycan a cutting edge is that it is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts for electric cars. The Taycan also stands out for its advanced fast charging capabilities. The charging time for five to 80 percent SoC (state of charge) is 22.5 minutes for charging under ideal conditions, and 8 hours under level 2 charging conditions.
Equipped with the 93.4 kWh high-performance battery, both the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo are all-wheel drive. The flagship Turbo S version can generate up to 761 PS, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds; while the Taycan Turbo can generate up to 680 PS and complete this sprint in 3.2 seconds. The top speed of both all-wheel-drive models is 260 km/h. With an improved range and continuous power of the drive, the Turbo S has a range of up to 412 kilometres, and the Turbo a range of up to 450 kilometres.
The Taycan 4S, which will be launched shortly, has two battery sizes. The 79.2 kWh standard battery can generate up to 530 PS; while the 93.4 kWh upgraded high-performance battery can generate up to 571 PS. Both batteries can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds, with a top speed of up to 250 km/h, and a range of up to 463 kilometers.
01 Using touch operation for passenger screen display makes the Taycan more digitalised. 02 With the Taycan, Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior for the first time and adapts the natural tanned Club Leather “OLEA”, enforcing the sustainability concept in electric sports cars.
Porsche Taycan 4S
www.porsche.com
Vol. 13
