Among the ultra-luxury car brands, Porsche's electrification transformation is quite positive, and its first pure electric model, the Taycan, has received many recognitions since its launch.
In 2021, the Porsche Taycan sold 41,296 units worldwide, up 106% year-on-year and accounting for 13.7% of Total Porsche sales. In one fell swoop, it surpassed the 911 model, trailing only the Macan and Cayenne, becoming Porsche's third most popular model.
On April 27, Porsche launched two new signings of the Taycan family in China, the Taycan Cross Turismo and the Taycan GTS, and officially opened pre-sales. Among them, the Taycan Cross Turismo released a total of 4 models, and the manufacturer's suggested retail price of each model ranged from 968,000 yuan to 1.838 million yuan; while the Taycan GTS was priced from 1.392 million yuan.
With the launch of two new cars, the Taycan family has provided nine models in the Chinese market, covering two body forms: cross-border multi-purpose vehicles and coupes.
It looks like "off-road", but it is actually "hunting clothing"
For the Taycan Cross Turismo, Porsche is positioned as the taycan family's first pure electric crossover multi-purpose vehicle (CUV), which at first glance looks like a crossover model with SUV attributes, but when we look at the actual picture of the car, we will find that it is quite similar to the body shape of the Panamera Sport Turismo.
In essence, the Taycan Cross Turismo is also a crossover model with "hunting" attributes, "off-road" is just its exterior, and its inside is still an electric coupe.
However, from the design level, the Taycan Cross Turismo uses a lot of off-road elements to make it look "wild". Including wheel arch trims, unique front and rear lower skirts, and side sills, they are all different from ordinary Taycan models.
As part of the Off-Road Design component, the corners of the front and rear bumpers and the ends of the sills are equipped with special skid plates to effectively prevent the impact of stones. Selected for the Off-Road Design component, a compass will be added to the top of the dashboard, a rotating compass dial simulates the front direction of the car, and provides altitude and time information on the digital display, with a simple and technological interior.
Of course, the biggest difference in the appearance of the Taycan Cross Turismo is the rear half of the vehicle. The rear of the vehicle, which has been transformed from a sneaky back to a "big ass", brings ample head space and luggage compartment space. Compared with the ordinary Taycan model, the rear head space of the Taycan Cross Turismo has increased by 47mm, and with the panoramic fixed glass sunroof that is standard in the Chinese market, the sense of space and openness of the rear passengers has been greatly improved. The luggage compartment volume increased by 39 liters to 446 liters, and after the seat was reclined, it could be increased to 1212, and the larger tailgate and more space could also meet more travel needs.
In order to allow car owners to occasionally go out "wild", Taycan Cross Turismo has also made great improvements in driving control. All four models come standard with a high-tech chassis with four-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension, and in "Normal" driving mode, ground clearance can be increased by up to 30mm compared to the regular Taycan for better passability. The standard gravel mode "Gravel Mode" is designed for light off-road terrain such as sand and dirt roads, enhancing its ability to adapt to uneven roads.
In order to reassure the owner of the "wild", taycan Cross Turismo has also improved its mileage, 4 models are equipped with a standard 93.4kWh high-performance battery upgrade (Performance Battery Plus), which can provide a maximum cruising range of 523km (CLTC standard), and Porsche's reliable mileage calculation logic can consider a variety of factors including driving style, road conditions, outside temperature, the use of auxiliary equipment and so on. Guaranteed metered mileage is "what you see is what you get".
In addition to the new models, there are also new technologies
In addition to the Taycan Cross Turismo, another new car, the Taycan GTS, debuted in China, is the first pure electric member of the Porsche GTS series. Whether it is the starting price of 1.392 million yuan, or the maximum power of 440kW/568PS and the acceleration time of 0-100km/h of 3.7s, it is between the Taycan 4S and the Taycan Turbo, and the positioning is also between the two. Its appearance has also further enriched the Taycan family, making the price transition of the entire family car series more smooth.
In addition to the new model, the 2022 Model Taycan will also usher in a number of functional upgrades. Among them, the panoramic sunroof with light control function is quite technological and will be applied synchronously to the newly released Taycan Cross Tursimo and Taycan GTS models.
The new panoramic sunroof is divided into nine individually controllable zones and can be switched between zones with finger clicks: including Clear, Matt, Semi and Bold. In addition, the sunroof enables a dynamic "roller shutter" function: when the Taycan driver swipes his finger over the sunroof icon in the display, the corresponding sections are activated sequentially.
The innovative panoramic sunroof uses a multi-layer structure that effectively shields thermal radiation even in a transparent state, preventing glare while significantly improving the lighting and heat insulation effect in the car. Simulation measurements of daylight conducted by porsche R&D Center Weissach show that only 15% of the heat can enter the interior space through the new panoramic sunroof, compared with more than 30% of the traditional sunroof.
Porsche accelerates "electric shock" in China
In Porsche's global map, the Chinese market undoubtedly plays a pivotal role. In 2021, a total of 95,671 new cars were delivered in China, an increase of 8% year-on-year, and China accounted for 32% of Porsche's global sales, making it the world's largest single market for seven consecutive years.
However, in 2021, Taycan sales in China were 7,315 units, accounting for about 7.6% of total sales, and there is still a certain gap with the global proportion. Perhaps, this is why Porsche has put two of the most important models in the Taycan family in the Chinese market for the first time.
Porsche has introduced a total of 16 pure electric and plug-in hybrid models to China, and 18% of the total sales in 2021 will come from new energy models, an increase of 8 percentage points over the previous year. With the release of two new models of the Taycan family and the new energy of more porsche products, Porsche's electrification layout in China may usher in a new stage.