When Porsche announced that the future of its brand relied on consumers adopting an all-electric vehicle, the Taycan, its customers had mixed reactions about the company abandoning its purist approach to the traditional gasoline-powered road car. However, according to the latest official reservation figures, Porsche has nothing to worry about.
More than 20,000 individuals from around the world have expressed interest in purchasing the Taycan, confirmed Porsche at the Geneva International Motor Show, all of which have put down a deposit of $2,500 to hold their spot on the waiting list.
Yet, consumers are doing so without even seeing the final version of the Taycan. Porsche says that it will not unveil the final tooling of its flagship EV until September, noting that the market launch of the Taycan will take place shortly thereafter, placing vehicles on the road before the end of 2019.
“The overwhelming interest in the Taycan shows us that our customers and fans are just as excited about the first Porsche electric athlete as we are – and we’ve therefore increased our production capacities,” said Porsche board member Detlev von Platen. “The Taycan will be the most sporty and most technically advanced vehicle in its segment – a true Porsche.”
Porsche is using its well-footed position in the premium market to eat directly into Tesla’s market space. The automaker is doubling-down on both performance and convenience with a more robust high-voltage battery system. The Taycan will sprint from zero to 60 in under 3.5 seconds and add 248 miles of range with just 20 minutes of charging. To sweeten the deal, Porsche will give owners three years of free fast charging through Electrify America.
The Taycan’s initial production limits have already been raised from 20,000 units to 40,000 units in January of this year as Porsche is dialing in the demand for its first big EV—a huge number considering the automaker sold less than 60,000 total vehicles in the U.S. during 2018.
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