Ever since Tesla released its teeny weenie Roadster in 2008, the first-ever street legal all-electric, the luxury auto world has been chasing the dream of an electrified future. The public may have viewed the $112,000 2-seater as a novelty for the rich (read: former North Bay Road resident Matt Damon), but the likes of Porsche, Ford and BMW secretly, warily foresaw their futures scrawled in pencil, not ink, for since the automobile was invented in 1886 by Karl Benz, powered by gas-powered internal combustion explosions, no revolutionary powertrain changes had occurred in 133 long years.
Tesla’s pioneering changed all that, the company positioning itself as rocket scientist rock stars, releasing more trailblazing sedans and an SUV to Hollywood-level pomp while the driving public construed other auto manufacturers’ lack of response as simply succumbing to gasoline, subsumed by years of inaction.
But what a difference a decade makes. The first all-electric Porsche – the Taycan – is upon us, debuting in early 2020 to rapturous pre-applause by Porsche superfans and just about everyone else with eyeballs. Taking on Tesla’s Model S, the sleek new 4-door sport sedan screams carved-out modernism, with luxury appointments and elegant interiors.
Unlike the hyper-minimalism of Tesla interiors (read: bland seating with a single centered iPad-like touchscreen), the Taycan’s sculpted confines appear downright lush and cozy, with a cabin-wide array of whizbang touchscreen controls, including on the center console. It all looks impossibly engineered and elegant.
There are 3 new models for 2020:
The Taycan 4S, the $103,800 390kW 429hp entry level model which goes 0-60 in 3.8 seconds; the Taycan Turbo, the $150,900 500kW 616hp intermediate model which goes 0-60 in 3.0 seconds; and the Taycan Turbo S, the $185,000 560kW 750hp premier model which goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. The names are more than a little wackadoodle because electric cars, in fact, do not have turbochargers because they don’t have engines, meaning Porsche’s marketing department went full-nonsensical.
The Taycan is all wheel drive, with two “permanently excited” synchronous motors on each of the two axles, meaning it gobble-grips the road. And the car comes in lots of killer colors like a deep red, a deep green, a deep blue, and a powder blue, in addition to white, black, and silver. Want to play with exterior, interior and wheel colors and combinations? Configure your car here.
There are three Porsche dealers in South Florida to preorder your Taycan – The Collection in Coral Gables (owned by super-developer Ugo Colombo), Porsche West Broward, and Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach. Better hurry up though before your neighbors usurp you, because even though Miami is in the top 10 most important Porsche markets in the world, Porsche already has 30,000 Taycan reservations, representing almost $4 billion in preorders.
All photos: Porsche