Porsche Taycan: All you need to know about the World Luxury Car of the year
Porsche Taycan, the first electric sports car out of the German carmaker's stable, has won two prestigious awards at the 2020 World Car of the Year. It has been adjudged the best sports car and the most luxurious among the very best in the industry.
Porsche plans to launch the Taycan electric in India, along with its other sports car Panamera, towards the end of this year. Before its arrival, here is all you need to know about the car that has impressed the world with its performance and luxury.
Porsche launched the Taycan last year with a spectacular world premiere held simultaneously in three continents. The Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo have two electric machines, one on the front axle and one on the rear axle, thus making the cars all-wheel drive. Less powerful variants of these all-wheel drive vehicles are expected later this year.
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The two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear gives the Taycan even more acceleration from a standing start, while second gear with a long gear ratio ensures high efficiency and equally high power reserves. This also applies at very high speeds.
The flagship Turbo S version of the Taycan can generate up to 560 kW power (761 PS; Taycan Turbo S: combined power consumption 26.9 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions 0 g/km), and the Taycan Turbo up to 500 kW power (680 PS; Taycan Turbo: combined power consumption 26.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions 0 g/km).
The Taycan Turbo S accelerates from zero to 100 kmph in 2.8 seconds, while the Taycan Turbo completes this sprint in 3.2 seconds. The Turbo S has a range of up to 412 kilometres, and the Turbo a range of up to 450 kilometres (according to WLTP in each case). The top speed of both all-wheel-drive models is 260 kmph.
The charging time for Taycan from five to 80 percent is 22.5 minutes under ideal conditions, and the maximum charging power (peak) is 270 kW. The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts for electric cars. This is a particular advantage for Taycan drivers on the road: in just over five minutes, the battery can be recharged using direct current (DC) from the high-power charging network for a range of up to 100 kilometres (according to WLTP).
As far as the looks are concerned, the Taycan carries the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front it looks 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 characteristic.
The sleek cabin, the drawn-in 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 glass-effect Porsche logo, which has been integrated into the light bar at the rear.
The cockpit gets a new structure altogether. The curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. There is a 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display. All user interfaces have been completely newly designed 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".
