The countdown to the launch of the electric-powered Porsche Taycan has begun in earnest with officials revealing the new four-door saloon has now entered the second phase of prototype production at the company’s Zuffenhausen headquarters on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany.
The first in an extended line-up of electric-powered models being developed in a programme budgeted to cost up to £5.3 billion through to the end of 2022, the Taycan marks a radical departure from Porsche’s traditional line-up, bringing full-time zero local emission compatibility together with the promise of what the new car’s lead engineer, Stefan Weckbach, describes as a “typical Porsche driving experience”.
When it goes on sale in the UK following a planned public premiere at the Frankfurt motor showin September 2019, it will be positioned between the £55,965 Cayenne and £67,898 Panamera in a move that will set the scene for the introduction of other new battery-powered Porsche models, including an electric-powered mid-engined sports car in the mould of the existing Boxster and Cayman and an SUV similar in size to the recently facelifted Macan.
Autocar can confirm the Taycan, previewed by the original Mission E concept, will be offered in two distinct variants with the standard saloon depicted here in prototype guise planned for right-hand-drive delivery in Britain in early 2020 and a more ruggedly styled high-riding estate-cum-crossover model previewed by the Mission E Cross Turismo concept revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this year scheduled to see local showrooms in 2022
Among the key rivals for the new Porsche is the Tesla Model S – a car used as an initial benchmark during the early phases of the Taycan’s development. However, Weckbach acknowledges the new four-door will also compete against a host of other upcoming electric car offerings, including sister company Audi’s E-tron GT as well as the recently spied Mercedes-Benz EQ S.
As evidenced by the latest prototypes fitted with production-based bodywork, the styling of the Taycan draws heavily on the well-received Mission E concept first shown at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show. Although every detail and body panel has been altered on the way to production, it remains faithful in appearance and overall visual character and detailing to the earlier concept, whose design is credited to Porsche’s former head of exterior design Mitja Borkert, now head of design at Volkswagen sister company Lamborghini.
Taking full advantage of the packaging advantages inherent in its drivetrain layout, the initial low-slung four-door saloon model combines the fundamental short-nosed proportions of traditional rear- and mid-engine Porsche models at the front together with the stretched proportions of more modern front-engine models towards the rear, providing the Taycan with clear design links to existing Porsche models, most notably the 911 and Panamera.
One major departure from the earlier Mission E is the adoption of sturdy B-pillars and four front-hinged doors in a measure aimed at increasing body rigidity. At the rear, the Taycan also receives a short notchback-style boot lid housing a full-width light band that provides access to one of two luggage compartments; the other is sited up front and is claimed to boast a near-to-100-litre capacity.
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