Porsche Doubles Taycan EV Production Figures
Porsche's first all-electric vehicle, called the Taycan, is seeing serious demand prior to going on sale. In December, we reported that Porsche was considering increasing production of the electric sedan from the originally planned 20,000 annual units as the German brand amassed preorders for the car, possibly selling out. Once thought to potentially go as high as 30,000, now CNBC reports that Porsche will in fact double Taycan production to 40,000 units. Autoblog has reached out to Porsche for confirmation and more details, and will provide an update when we hear back. Porsche will build the Taycan at its factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany. 6.8 billion investment for Porsche, and is expected to create 1,200 new jobs. Porsche plans to have net-zero-impact production for the Taycan, and is even installing exterior panels on the factory to break down nitrogen oxide pollution in the air. In addition to the Taycan sedan, which is based upon the Mission E concept that originally debuted in 2015, Porsche has also displayed a Mission E Cross Turismo concept that previews a wagon-ish version of the electric vehicle. Audi recently revealed its own grand touring EV built on a shared platform with the Porsche Taycan. Called the E-Tron GT, this concept car, shown in L.A.
However, the Cayman was not fitted with ceramic brakes, Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), or Power Steering Plus鈥攁ll optional extras this car definitely doesn鈥檛 need. The 2.0-liter is a direct replacement for the older, last-gen 981鈥檚 base 2.7-liter naturally aspirated flat-six. It isn鈥檛 really all that different from the bigger 2.5-liter, only differing in cylinder bore and its different turbocharger. Both engines are downsized iterations of the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six in the 991.2 Carrera, with the 2.0-liter carrying the same bore and stroke of the six-cylinder, but with slightly taller pistons. As expected, they share a bunch of similar parts with the big-boy Carrera, including main bearings, alternator, fuel pump, vacuum pump, camshaft bearings, intake valves, timing chain, connecting rods, and piston rings. Tell that to the 914 owner who chants 鈥渙ne of us, one of us鈥?when you roll up to the next Rennsport. Stay in your lane, Mr. Volkswagen.
In a way, that makes it more intriguing than the older six-cylinder. It鈥檚 charming in the same way the Lamborghini Urraco鈥檚 V-8 was a Countach V-12 with four cylinders lopped off. Oh, and it doesn鈥檛 hurt that forced induction makes it torquey鈥攔eal torquey. Compared to the older 2.7-liter, the 2.0-liter has 73 additional lb-ft, for a thumping total of 280 delivered at much lower rpm. This means that as equipped, this test car can scramble from zero to 60 mph in a very respectable 4.5 seconds. Packing 300 horsepower means it continues to pull after the torque peak, only stopping when it hits its 170-mph top speed. Out on the open stretches of ridge roads in the San Gabriel mountains north of Los Angeles, the 718 Cayman鈥檚 acceleration is strong, not waning until the speedo points somewhere north of 80 mph. Even then, you鈥檒l continue to accumulate speed until things get uncomfortably blurry. Contrary to what you might hear, the flat-four rumble doesn鈥檛 cheapen the experience.
It鈥檚 gruff and unapologetic about its small displacement; as one coworker put it, 鈥渋t鈥檚 rude, in a good way.鈥?If the Boxster were launched with this soundtrack from the get-go in 1996, this would likely be a nonissue. For tighter, twistier stuff, I buzzed over to the canyons bordering Malibu. The Cayman ripped through the switchbacks at a pace you鈥檇 expect of something far more expensive, with smooth, quick steering and impeccable mid-engine balance. Pure grip from the medium-performance Pirelli P Zero tires was impressive, allowing you to learn the capabilities of the car long before you ran out of roadholding (or talent). The brakes and the suspension damping were similarly remarkable, though are you really that surprised? This is the same Cayman/Boxster playfulness we鈥檝e known and loved for 23 years. When you鈥檙e done messing about and need to make it through L.A. Cayman settles down to VW Golf docility with a semi-cushy suspension tune and silken gearshifts from the automatic transmission. Thanks to the mid-engine configuration, there鈥檚 two storage areas for all your Oreos: a flat-loading duffel shelf around back, and a reasonably cavernous compartment up front. So it鈥檚 good鈥攔eally, really good. Better than you might have heard. Of course, I do think without that snappy PDK, this might be a different experience, and I鈥檓 not sure all its character will translate during a quick test drive at your local dealer. If you鈥檙e interested, do make sure to take one for an extended period of time. In typical Porsche fashion, this doesn鈥檛 come cheap. 70,000 718 Cayman S, an upgrade that鈥檚 probably worth it, even if you get a stripped-out model.
Usually this bothers me, especially when the colour is fairly dark, as painting it requires putting on enough primer to completely hide the underlying plastic colour. This is especially true when going for a significantly lighter colour. However, there is an option when the colour is a desirable one, and where the quality of the colour embedded in the styrene is consistent across the model. However, sometimes you get lucky. Two recent examples were both from the Fujimi Enthusiast series: the Alfa Giulia GTA, and the Porsche 356 C. Here the bodies were so clean that really all they needed was polishing. The Alfa was a gorgeous red, and the Porsche a very nice white with just a touch of cream. Putting on primer, then topcoat and clear, is always a bit risky and there are always touch-ups required along the way. Plan B, if the styrene is nice, is to give it a good polish, clean it up properly, then apply clear as in a top coat: light mist coats, followed by a heavier flood coat. An additional polishing step may be needed if the clear tries to form orange peel.