What Kind of Name is ‘Taycan’? Porsche Drops Mission E For New Official Name [News]

Porsche Taycan - "Mission E" concept
Porsche Taycan, formerly known as the “Mission E” concept. [Photo: Porsche]

It means lively young horse, apparently.

First, there was the Boxster. Then there was the Cayenne. When Porsche moved from numeric designations to their newer models to actual names, the names they chose have always been interesting. We didn’t even mention the ‘Cajun’. Remember that? It’s what ultimately ended up as the Porsche Macan, the Cayenne’s smaller sibling. It seems they had a change of heart on that one.

In the spirit of the Cayman, or the hardtop sports car base on the 718 Boxster, there’s now the ‘Taycan’. That’s the name Porsche has given its Mission E all-electric concept. The Eurasian name roughly translates to “spirited young horse”, a nod to the horse at the center of Porsche’s crest.

Porsche Taycan - Formerly known as "Mission E" concept
[Photo: Porsche]

What makes the Taycan tick

Interesting name, but what’s at the heart of the new Taycan formerly known as Mission E? Porsche’s adding 1,200 jobs at their Zuffenhausen plant to supprot the new project. At its heart, there are two permanent magnet synchronous motors. The total system output combined from those motors is 600 horsepower, enough to catapult the car to 60 MPH in 3.5 seconds. 120 MPH comes up in just under twelve seconds, according to Porsche.

Not only that, but the car’s maximum range is claimed at over 500 kilometers, or 311 miles. Over the next five years, Porsche will invest six billion Euros (or $7 billion) into electric mobility initiatives. 500 million Euros will be used to further develop the new Taycan and its variants. Another 700 million Euros will go toward improving technology, infrastructure and “smart mobility” projects.

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