The upcoming new electric cars from Porsche will be branded under the new Porsche Taycan brand the German sports car and SUV manufacturer confirmed. So far known as Porsche Mission E, the company has ended the speculation of its name. The name Porsche Taycan was announced by Chief Executive Oliver Blume at Porsche’s 70th-anniversary celebration and it means “lively, young horse”, reflecting the iconic rearing black horse on Porsche’s coat of arms. The company further confirmed series production of its electric cars will commence in 2019.
“Our new electric sports car is strong and dependable; it’s a vehicle that can consistently cover long distances and that epitomises freedom”, explains Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. The oriental name also signifies the launch of the first electric sports car with the soul of a Porsche. Porsche announced the name for its first purely electric series as part of the “70 years of sports cars” ceremony.
Porsche Taycan electric cars will get two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM) with a system output of over 600 hp accelerate the electric sports car to 100 km/h in well under 3.5 seconds and to 200 km/h in under twelve seconds. This performance is in addition to a continuous power level that is unprecedented among electric vehicles. Porsche says that the vehicle’s maximum range is over 500 km in accordance with the NEDC.
Names with real meaning
At Porsche, the vehicle names generally have a concrete connection with the corresponding model and its characteristics: The name Boxster describes the combination of the boxer engine and roadster design; Cayenne denotes fieriness, the Cayman is incisive and agile, and the Panamera offers more than a standard Gran Turismo, which is what allowed it to win the Carrera Panamericana long-distance race. The name Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger, with connotations of suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.
Porsche doubles future investments:
Further, Porsche plans to invest more than six billion euro in electromobility by 2022, doubling the expenditure that the company had originally planned. Of the additional three billion euro, some 500 million euro will be used for the development of Taycan variants and derivatives, around one billion euro for electrification and hybridisation of the existing product range, several hundred million for the expansion of production sites, plus around 700 million euro for new technologies, charging infrastructure and smart mobility.
At the Porsche headquarters in Zuffenhausen, a new paint shop, a dedicated assembly area for the Taycan and a conveyor bridge for transporting the painted bodies and drive units to the final assembly area are currently being constructed. The existing engine plant is being expanded to manufacture electric drives and the body shop will also be developed. Investment is also planned for the Weissach Development Centre. Production of the Taycan is creating around 1,200 new jobs in Zuffenhausen alone.
