Porsche Does A Volt-face ( Test 1 )

The German sportscar maker has embraced the electrification trend with a vengeance, and it is a slinky four-door saloon that will lead its charge.

EVERYWHERE, cars are increasingly becoming electrified, and most of the big automotive marques now feature, or will soon have, fully-electric models in their line-ups.

With increasing frequency, press releases are speaking of battery capacity instead of engine capacity, and of charging speeds and driving range instead of top speed and cylinder count.

Even Porsche, the world’s biggest sportscar maker, is not immune to the ecoconscious winds of change (and legislation) sweeping through the industry.

But instead of merely accepting the inevitable change, it has embraced it with a vengeance. And it is a slinky four-door saloon which will lead Porsche’s charge.

Based on the stunning Mission E concept car which Porsche unveiled to the sound of dropped jaws in September 2015, it will be named Taycan, a word of Turkish origin meaning “lively young horse”.

When launched late next year it will be Porsche’s first fully-electric vehicle, and will herald a wave of other electric models from the marque – in fact Porsche has already announced that the Taycan saloon will be followed up by a “shooting brake” variant, in the same vein as the Panamera Sport Turismo.

The company estimates that by 2025, over 50 percent of its range will be electrified, although this figure includes hybrids as well as fully-electric models.

In any case this is a radical step for Porsche, more so than for a maker of more mainstream cars like say VW or Nissan, because the pulsating, howling heartbeat of a combustion engine has always been an integral part of the soul and character of each of its cars. And now it is about to launch a car without an engine.