It’s no secret that Porsche plans to
expand the Taycan family with a fourth member that will act as the
“entry-level” model. We now learn the base Taycan will debut exactly a week
from now, with reports from China signaling that Porsche will present it on
June 29. According to Autohome, Porsche China refers to the new car as the
‘base Taycan’, which could suggest it’s the same vehicle as the less expensive
Porsche Taycan variant mentioned in several reports earlier this year.
Unlike the Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and
Taycan Turbo S which are all-wheel drive and feature dual motors, the base
Taycan is widely expected to be rear-wheel drive and feature a single electric
motor. This would be consistent with Porsche R&D boss Dr Michael Steiner’s
disclosure that the automaker has plans for a single-motor Taycan with a
smaller battery.
Back in April, the executive specifically
mentioned China as the main market for the base Taycan; that doesn’t mean other
markets won’t get it. Expect the entry-level Porsche Taycan to focus on driving
range rather than blistering performance; chances are it will offer the longest
range of the entire Taycan lineup while still being a quick car.
The base Porsche Taycan will slot below
the Taycan 4S, which costs 1.148 million yuan (US$ 162,350) in
China and US$ 103,800 in the United States. It should be significantly less
expensive than the 4S, which uses a 79.2 kWh battery pack and a dual-motor
setup for a total of 530 PS and 640 Nm of torque. As for
the driving range, it is anyone’s guess for now and it all depends on the
battery capacity. The Taycan 4S can cover 405 km on the WLTP cycle,
or 326 km according to the EPA.
