According to Car Magazine, Porsche is working on a lower-cost 2 wheel drive version of their Taycan all-electric sports car. We think that's great news because we love the Taycan, and as far as we're concerned, the more variants of it the better.
How much lower the cost will be is unknown, but if we're sure it will start that's at a price point that's comfortably under $100,000.
Porsche already has three Taycan models, the Taycan Turbo, the Taycan Turbo S, and the latest release, the Taycan 4S. Both the Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S come with a 93.4 kWh battery.
However, the Taycan 4S comes standard with a 79.2 kWh battery with the 93.4 battery pack available as an option called "Performance Battery Plus". That option will add an additional $6,580 to the Taycan 4S's starting price of $103,800.
Still, the 4S looks like a steal next to the starting prices of the Taycan Turbo ($150,900) and the Taycan Turbo S ($185,000). But will the new 2 wheel-drive Taycan option look like a steal next to the 4S? That depends on what Porsche leaves out of the new entry-level Taycan and also what size battery they use.
'There will be entry-level models coming off the Taycan,' R&D chief Dr Michael Steiner said in a phone interview during the coronavirus crisis. 'There will be a rear-wheel drive model with a smaller battery to make it more accessible price-wise, especially for markets that don’t need 4wd - places like China, where weather conditions mean you don’t need it.'
Porsche told Car Magazine that the new Taycan will also have a smaller battery. However, they didn't really clarify what it would be smaller than. Did they mean it will only be available with the 79.2 kWh battery that's standard on the 4S? Or will Porsche develop an even smaller battery pack for this new Taycan variant?
We're betting the former, and that Porsche will make the 79.2 kWh battery the only option for this new entry-level Taycan. We really can't imagine them developing an even-smaller battery for the Taycan.
We still don't know the range of the 79.2 kWh battery pack because it hasn't been certified yet. However, based on the EPA range ratings for the 93.4 kWh pack, (192 mi for Turbo S, 201 mi for Turbo & 203 mi for 4S) we'd expect the 79.2 kWh battery to be somewhere in the 175-mile range.
Gallery: 2020 Porsche Taycan
We doubt that Porsche would offer a Taycan with less range than that, even the entry-level one. Still, the new could be a really interesting option if Porsche can get the price down around the $85,000 range. Perspective buyers could then tack on some popular options and still come in under $100k.
Thoughts? Is Porsche watering down the Taycan line too much? Or should they expand on it as much as possible and bring more customers into the Taycan family? As always, let us know in the comment section below.
Source: Car Magazine