Not sure what to do about my Taycan order...

[Matt W]

I’ve ordered a new CT4S (via lease company), I was surprised about the lead time originally advised before ordering, being Q2 next year. Just before pressing the order button I re checked and Q2 had become Q4. I’ve ordered the car and it’s now showing Q1 24. while this is a tad disappointing I do appreciate this is still not a huge wait, but I have a few things I am pondering about now.
1 - Am I likely to get caught with a price increase now. I am told the price is not secure until a build slot is allocated and I’m already at the top of my budget. Obviously I can remove options to get the figures to work again but that would be frustrating. I could re order the same car as 4 opposed to the 4S, that would give me a buffer for any price increase and I am not to worried about it being slower.
2 - Assuming the delivery date is accurate, will I just miss a potential face lift. Ie I get the car and within a month or two a newer model is available.
3 - lead times appear to be getting better for other manufacturers, whilst Porsche can’t guarantee anything does anyone know what the likelihood is of this date being bettered.

Im toying now with an etron gt as these are available between jan and April next year and as the car is through salary sacrifice scheme, the longer I wait, the more the car will actually cost due to increasing BIK and potential for price increase of vehicles - without doubt the Porsche is my preferred option, but my brain is now in a tail spin!,

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[WasserGKuehlt]

I’ve ordered a new CT4S [...] but I have a few things I am pondering about now.

1 - (price increase) Yes. There is no question in my mind - inflation in Europe is still high, price of energy is probably 4x vs a year ago. This year's increase was probably mild compared to the MY24 hike. If you don't care about the speed/power differential, then why go for a 4S in the first place? Queues are longer than for the base (at least in the US), and there's not much in it aside from the extra power/shorter acceleration time.

2 - (face lift) Who knows, but given the typical Porsche model lifecycle, the facelift will occur at mid-life/4 years mark _and_ would be a very mild one. Exhibits A, B and C are the Macan, Panamera or the prev-gen 911 (991). Actually, for the latter the facelift was quite an improvement, but it's not like the casual observer would notice/you'd feel like driving an antique.

3 - (lead times) Again, who knows. Porsche would very much like not to have their current supply chain or distribution problems, so I'm sure they're doing all they can to redress. The demand seems to be cooling off as well, and that should help with shorter order queues and delivery times. Besides, they seem to favor Europe - at least based on my casual reading of this forum in terms of order-to-delivery stories.

Im toying now with an etron gt as these are available between jan and April next year and as the car is through salary sacrifice scheme, the longer I wait, the more the car will actually cost due to increasing BIK

I'm only vaguely familiar with the scheme in general, and not sure what BIK is. Normally, deferring an expense means you earn more, so you're not really _losing_ money. It's advantageous to borrow/finance purchases in an inflation, if you can get good terms (probably too late) and beat the inflation - but that's not what this is (or I'm really not getting the concept of salary sacrifice).
I'm sure the GT is a fine car, so if you like its aesthetics then you can't go far wrong with it. To me, it's too aggressively Audi in the front, and can't get past those goofy taillights. De gustibus..

 

[Speuk]

I’ve ordered a new CT4S (via lease company), I was surprised about the lead time originally advised before ordering, being Q2 next year. Just before pressing the order button I re checked and Q2 had become Q4. I’ve ordered the car and it’s now showing Q1 24. while this is a tad disappointing I do appreciate this is still not a huge wait, but I have a few things I am pondering about now.
1 - Am I likely to get caught with a price increase now. I am told the price is not secure until a build slot is allocated and I’m already at the top of my budget. Obviously I can remove options to get the figures to work again but that would be frustrating. I could re order the same car as 4 opposed to the 4S, that would give me a buffer for any price increase and I am not to worried about it being slower.
2 - Assuming the delivery date is accurate, will I just miss a potential face lift. Ie I get the car and within a month or two a newer model is available.
3 - lead times appear to be getting better for other manufacturers, whilst Porsche can’t guarantee anything does anyone know what the likelihood is of this date being bettered.

Im toying now with an etron gt as these are available between jan and April next year and as the car is through salary sacrifice scheme, the longer I wait, the more the car will actually cost due to increasing BIK and potential for price increase of vehicles - without doubt the Porsche is my preferred option, but my brain is now in a tail spin!,

Can you find out which OPC your lease company is ordering from and talk to them direct? People are cancelling orders due to high finance rates and cost of living so I would expect things to get better.
When I ordered in June 22 I was told Q3 2023 but I took delivery this week after 6 months but that was through PRG who get much bigger allocations

 

[W1NGE]

I’ve ordered a new CT4S (via lease company), I was surprised about the lead time originally advised before ordering, being Q2 next year. Just before pressing the order button I re checked and Q2 had become Q4. I’ve ordered the car and it’s now showing Q1 24. while this is a tad disappointing I do appreciate this is still not a huge wait, but I have a few things I am pondering about now.
1 - Am I likely to get caught with a price increase now. I am told the price is not secure until a build slot is allocated and I’m already at the top of my budget. Obviously I can remove options to get the figures to work again but that would be frustrating. I could re order the same car as 4 opposed to the 4S, that would give me a buffer for any price increase and I am not to worried about it being slower.
2 - Assuming the delivery date is accurate, will I just miss a potential face lift. Ie I get the car and within a month or two a newer model is available.
3 - lead times appear to be getting better for other manufacturers, whilst Porsche can’t guarantee anything does anyone know what the likelihood is of this date being bettered.

Im toying now with an etron gt as these are available between jan and April next year and as the car is through salary sacrifice scheme, the longer I wait, the more the car will actually cost due to increasing BIK and potential for price increase of vehicles - without doubt the Porsche is my preferred option, but my brain is now in a tail spin!,

Price rise is inevitable I think. Budget up to £2K (total guess). BIK will rise and road tax introduced.

Face lift is a consideration but to be honest mid life ones on Porsche cars tends to be blink and you'd miss's it. Perhaps what is more important will be further software updates which as we've seen recently get applied to all model years and hopefully this will continue. uPdate was provided for MY20 - MY22 cars to effectively make them MY23.

 

[Leverage]

3 - lead times appear to be getting better for other manufacturers, whilst Porsche can’t guarantee anything does anyone know what the likelihood is of this date being bettered.

It is getting better! At first I was told that my CT4s would arrive in march & now it's happening in January. When I asked how come it was earlier, my dealer told me that things were clearly going better now. I believe a lot of people have cancelled their order due to the weakening economy & probably also supply chains getting slowly back on track.

Also, like someone said above, they seem to push faster for EU deliveries.

 

[tigerbalm]

Also, like someone said above, they seem to push faster for EU deliveries.

The North American market has some of the lowest base prices on Porsche's compared to EU, UK, etc. Its considered a high-volume marketplace and remains very important for Porsche.

However, when components are in short supply, it makes sense to try and prioritise the markets that generate the most profit per unit shipped as possible.

 

[AlexR]

If the question is should I get an etron GT in Q1 2023 or wait an additional year for a Taycan - I would get the etron GT.

I LOVE the Taycan but given those metrics it seems a no-brainer.

 

[TaycanHero]

1 - Am I likely to get caught with a price increase now. I am told the price is not secure until a build slot is allocated and I’m already at the top of my budget. Obviously I can remove options to get the figures to work again but that would be frustrating. I could re order the same car as 4 opposed to the 4S, that would give me a buffer for any price increase and I am not to worried about it being slower.
2 - Assuming the delivery date is accurate, will I just miss a potential face lift. Ie I get the car and within a month or two a newer model is available.
3 - lead times appear to be getting better for other manufacturers, whilst Porsche can’t guarantee anything does anyone know what the likelihood is of this date being bettered.

1. Yes, you pay the price at allocation, and it seems inconceivable that there won't be a price rise by July next year. Expect 2-5%. That means the 4S CT is nearer £95k base.
2. Forum members who know about Porsche are expecting the facelift announcement in the spring/summer, meaning cars built from late summer onwards will be the new MY with the facelift. Regardless, I doubt the pre-facelift models will see accelerated depreciation. It's not in Porsche interests to do that. Based on the allocation lottery, I would just take the car once you have it confirmed.
3. It probably will be bettered. We on this forum have been discussing since early this year there will be a lot of cancellations because of recessions/global economic downturn. Even the wealthy lose jobs or end up in financial hardship, so frivolous purchases like a Porsche get cancelled. Already there have been forum members announcing they've cancelled or had to sell for related reasons.

If you really want the car, then wait.

If you just want a high end EV ASAP, then go for the Audi, even if it isn't quite as exciting.

I would also seriously consider the BMW I4 as another alternative. With the M Sport bodykit it looks great, and it drives as near to a Taycan as I have experienced. Half the price as well.

 

[mutanthands]

I’m sure the BMW i4 drives great, but god damn it’s fugly, and will depreciate like a brick.

My neighbour had the petrol equivalent and every time I walked past it made me facepalm.

 

[kempez]

Personally if I’d had to wait a year from now and I could get an E-torn GT (RS) early next year, I’d get the E-tron. I didn’t have this option as the E-tron lead time was far longer than the Taycan, albeit it ended up it might not have been.

 

[Jin]

I'd also take the Lex estimates for the Audi's with a pinch of salt.. a colleague has been waiting 12 months (and counting) for a standard Q4 E-tron via Lex/Sal Sac.

I was in the same dilemma, having test driven both the GT and Taycan within days of each other, the Audi didn't generate half the level of excitement of the Porsche..

Think it was the lack of more 'modern' cabin (hey I know lots of people appreciate physical buttons) and a relatively indistinguishable look that's put me firmly in the queue to wait for the Taycan.

placing the order 2 months ago I have the similar q1 2024 estimate (Cambridge OPC).. but direct customer enquiries to them and a bunch of other centres in the UK, they've all said they'd expect delivery q4 2023. Lease orders may get pushed back down the pecking order but I'm clinging onto the idea of a delivery in a year


EDIT - if you have access to the Lex portal, they try publish a list of wait times and the Etron GT is now showing June 2023 with the RS in Jan 2023

 

[Matt W]

Thanks for all the comments, its good to be able to share my thought process with like the like minded... These are definitely first world problems.. I just cant quite get the same level of enthusiasm for the Etron, and the CT's are so much more practical (dog in the back, tip runs, kids stuff etc). Apparently the ST4S is more readily available (Q3 23), but ultimately I was always drawn to the CT and bearing in mind the cost, I don't think I can settle on anything other than my current order... So having considered everything, my plan is to suck up the wait and hope for a better delivery date (sounds like there is a chance of this), and hope any price hike is not to painful should that come. Thanks again, and for anyone else in the queue, I hope you get yours soon...

 

[Throb]

I would also seriously consider the BMW I4 as another alternative. With the M Sport bodykit it looks great, and it drives as near to a Taycan as I have experienced. Half the price as well.

An exaggeration to say the i4 is "half the price". It's not, not even to a 4S CT, although it certainly feels half the price.

And as much as I thought the i4 M50 that I test drove was fun, and the performance impressive, it doesn't come remotely close to a Taycan in pretty much every area. The i4 is a petrol car with batteries instead of an ICE. The interior is a joke. The HMI is incredibly frustrating to use. And I'm a 30-year-long BMW fan.

I wouldn't even mention the i4 in the same breath as the Taycan.

All IMHO, of course.

 

[f1eng]

I liked the look of the E-Tron GT a lot and had a test drive or the GT RS at my local dealer. It felt big and cumbersome and since it hasn’t got an estate version not ideal for my dog. I decided against it.

I only had a test drive in a Taycan CT by accident, I originally only went to look at the boot space, and it was a CT 4S but it immediately felt smaller and more nimble despite being the same running gear. The ride in “normal” was superb too. So having decided against the E-Tron GT I ordered a CT 4S. I like the cool styling of the Taycan interior but the ergonomics of the Audi were better.

I know it is personal and dependant on requirements - if I hadn’t ordered the Taycan I wouldn’t have bought a new car at all at the moment - but for my taste the Taycan was a much better car.

 

[4MBN]

Thanks for all the comments, its good to be able to share my thought process with like the like minded... These are definitely first world problems.. I just cant quite get the same level of enthusiasm for the Etron, and the CT's are so much more practical (dog in the back, tip runs, kids stuff etc). Apparently the ST4S is more readily available (Q3 23), but ultimately I was always drawn to the CT and bearing in mind the cost, I don't think I can settle on anything other than my current order... So having considered everything, my plan is to suck up the wait and hope for a better delivery date (sounds like there is a chance of this), and hope any price hike is not to painful should that come. Thanks again, and for anyone else in the queue, I hope you get yours soon...

I think you have made the right decision to wait. Ask f1eng who had a whole world of pain waiting.

The E-Tron and Taycan are not comparable.

I was genuinely surprised by the difference. Sure, the E-Tron is ok, but it's not wow!

I'm temporarily driving an RS E-tron GT Black Edition, spec approx £140k. It's just ok. I was looking forward to having it, but after a week or so I had (and still have) no enthusiasm for it.

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