Is a more affordable Porsche Taycan on the way?
Since it originally debuted and we had a chance to learn more about it, the Porsche Taycan has endeared itself to the whole TFL team. Even if you don’t particularly like it, Porsche has created a notable rival to the Tesla Model S. After all, more competition tends to breed innovation, whether you’re a new player or a well-established name.
There’s just one problem with the current Porsche Taycan offering here in the U.S. — the price.
Even the “low-spec” Taycan 4S starts at an eye-watering $103,800. That’s before incentives, as well as Porsche’s $1,350 destination charge. Sure, that’s not much more than the Panamera 4S, but it is significantly more expensive than Tesla’s flagship sedan. Not only that, but the Model S has a much longer range (up to 402 miles) and a quicker 0-60 time (3.7 seconds). Now, though, Porsche may have an answer to that price delta in a more affordable, base model Taycan.
Technically, a single-motor Taycan already exists, but it’s just for the Chinese market right now. In its “overboost” mode, that single motor puts out up to 469 horsepower to the rear wheels. While that’s a solid power figure on paper, it is slower than the 522 horsepower, dual-motor Taycan 4S. Porsche quotes the base model’s 0-60 time at 5.4 seconds, and a range of up to 303 miles (on the European cycle).
How far under $100K would a base model be?
Widening the availability would inevitably pull in some folks who would otherwise buy a Model S or something else entirely. If Porsche’s planning a more affordable model, though, one question remains. How affordable will it be?
The German automaker still has a bit of a price gulf issue on its hands. A base model would bring the price more into line with the $91,990 Model S Performance. Perhaps it will even split the difference with the $69,420 Model S Long Range. We should know more about Porsche’s “new addition”, as they said more is coming soon.
