Porsche's Mission E concept is named Taycan

Stuttgart. The “Mission E” concept study, the name currently used to describe Porsche’s complete electric offering, will be formally known as the Taycan.

The name can be roughly translated as “lively young horse”, referencing the imagery at the heart of the Porsche crest, which has featured a leaping steed since 1952.

Series production of the first purely electric Porsche is set to begin next year. Hence, in preparation, the vehicle has now been given its official name.

Although the latest Porsche naming conventions have been somewhat very local sounding, at Porsche, the vehicle names generally have a concrete connection with the corresponding model and its characteristics. The name Boxster describes the combination of the boxer engine and roadster design; Cayenne denotes fieriness, the Cayman is incisive and agile, and the Panamera offers more than a standard Gran Turismo, which is what allowed it to win the Carrera Panamericana long-distance race. Even the local favourite Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger, with connotations of suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.

“Our new electric sports car is strong and dependable; it’s a vehicle that can consistently cover long distances and that epitomises freedom”, explains Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. The oriental name also signifies the launch of the first electric sports car with the soul of a Porsche.

Two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM) with a system output of over 600 hp (440 kW) accelerate the electric sports car to 100 km/h in well under 3.5 seconds and to 200 km/h in under twelve seconds. This performance is in addition to a continuous power level that is unprecedented among electric vehicles: Multiple jump starts are possible in succession without loss of performance - something which Tesla has yet to perfect and currently limits owners from going on "Ludicrous" mode all day. The vehicle’s maximum range is over 500 km in accordance with the NEDC too.

Porsche is dead serious in the EV game and plans to invest more than six billion euro in electromobility by 2022, doubling the expenditure that the company had originally planned.

Of the additional three billion euros, some 500 million euros will be used for the development of Taycan variants and derivatives, around one billion euro for electrification and hybridisation of the existing product range, several hundred million for the expansion of production sites, plus around 700 million euros for new technologies, charging infrastructure and smart mobility.

As automakers such as General Motors, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar Land Rover recently announced job cuts to streamline costs, production of the Taycan is creating around 1,200 new jobs in Zuffenhausen alone.

Credits: