2020 Porsche Taycan Timidly Teased Via New Design Sketches

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

While Porsche has already confirmed its first-ever all-electric model for a September debut, parading it around in Mission E guise, the production Taycan remains a bit of a mystery. Most, including yours truly, are under the assumption that the finished model won’t look all that different from the prototype (probably with a dash of Panamera). But that’s based on little more than a gut feeling and a couple of design sketches the automaker quietly released this week.

In fact, Porsche was so quiet about the drawings, it only bothered sharing them with individuals on the model’s waiting list.

According to a post on TaycanEVForum from early Thursday, the German manufacturer included the images to “keep you dreaming about the Taycan on public roads.” It also referenced the drawings as “the latest” from the company’s design studio in Weissach, meaning this is probably somewhat indicative of the finished product.

Overall, it doesn’t look all that different from the Mission E we’ve seen at trade shows, but it does vary quite a bit from the test mules the company put on the Nürburgring and subjected to extreme climates — all of which looked like a mashup of the Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Panamera.

“Our start to 2019 is charged with excitement,” Porsche said in its email to those eagerly awaiting the EV’s arrival. “This is the year when the first all-electric Porsche will become a reality. The Taycan is certain to enthrall not only test drivers, but also our customers with its performance. When it rolls off the production line and onto the roads, it will offer a true dynamic Porsche driving experience like every Porsche before it.”

“Finishing work on the assembly line in Zuffenhausen is entering the final straight and the expansion of charging infrastructure worldwide is advancing at a great pace,” the company continued. “The historic main manufacturing center is being made fit for the automotive production of the future, as the outside world is preparing for a new standard in charging performance — typical of Porsche, the best in its class. All preparations are underway for a successful start for the Taycan.”

We’re not sure how much closer this actually gets us to understanding the production version of the Taycan, though it does seem to indicate that the company is keen on keeping customers interested in the looks offered by the original Mission E concept (below). Officially, all Porsche has said is that the EV will use two permanently synchronous motors to achieve a combined output in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower and is targeting 310 miles of range (on the European cycle) with impressive fast-charging capabilities.

We’ll likely get another round of teasers in the coming months before Porsche officially unveils the Taycan to the public this September, likely at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

[Images: Porsche]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • TimK TimK on Mar 16, 2019

    Porsche talks bravely about their charging infrastructure, on paper the specs are certainly impressive. Who is financing this charging station rollout? In out little community of 150 homes, some “sustainability” folks formed a HOA committee and they decided we should have a PEV charging station. Hilarity ensued when the quotes came in — just to install the hardware: $75K to $300K. If used regularly, power bill is over $10K annually.

    • Needsdecaf Needsdecaf on Mar 18, 2019

      Volkswagen AG is as part of their multi-billion dollar settlement with the EPA over Dieselgate. Search for Electrify America - that's VAG's program. I've already seen a station or two built near me. Zero Emissions Technology Investments: The Clean Air Act settlement also requires VW to invest $2 billion toward improving infrastructure, access and education to support and advance zero emission vehicles. The investments will be made over 10 years, with $1.2 billion directed toward a national EPA-approved investment plan and $800 million directed toward a California-specific investment plan that will be approved by CARB. As part of developing the national plan, Volkswagen will solicit and consider input from interested states, cities, Indian tribes and federal agencies. This investment is intended to address the adverse environmental impacts from consumers’ purchases of the 2.0 liter vehicles, which the governments contend were purchased under the mistaken belief that they were lower emitting vehicles. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/reference-news-release-volkswagen-spend-147-billion-settle-allegations-cheating

  • Cognoscenti Cognoscenti on Mar 18, 2019

    I'm just practicing my Shatner to Ricardo Montalbán "Tie-KHAAAAAAAAN!!!!" for office-place antics whenever the model name is discussed.

  • Namesakeone If I were the parent of a teenage daughter, I would want her in an H1 Hummer. It would be big enough to protect her in a crash, too big for her to afford the fuel (and thus keep her home), big enough to intimidate her in a parallel-parking situation (and thus keep her home), and the transmission tunnel would prevent backseat sex.If I were the parent of a teenage son, I would want him to have, for his first wheeled transportation...a ride-on lawnmower. For obvious reasons.
  • ToolGuy If I were a teen under the tutelage of one of the B&B, I think it would make perfect sense to jump straight into one of those "forever cars"... see then I could drive it forever and not have to worry about ever replacing it. This plan seems flawless, doesn't it?
  • Rover Sig A short cab pickup truck, F150 or C/K-1500 or Ram, preferably a 6 cyl. These have no room for more than one or two passengers (USAA stats show biggest factor in teenage accidents is a vehicle full of kids) and no back seat (common sense tells you what back seats are used for). In a full-size pickup truck, the inevitable teenage accident is more survivable. Second choice would be an old full-size car, but these have all but disappeared from the used car lots. The "cute small car" is a death trap.
  • W Conrad Sure every technology has some environmental impact, but those stuck in fossil fuel land are just not seeing the future of EV's makes sense. Rather than making EV's even better, these automakers are sticking with what they know. It will mean their end.
  • Add Lightness A simple to fix, strong, 3 pedal car that has been tenderized on every corner.
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