Will there be a Taycan coupe and/or convertible any time soon

[tigerbalm]

I’m lucky the Taycan CT is pretty well perfect for me, just a bit wide.
My sports car “wants” don’t exist in modern sports cars, I prefer classics pre-driver over-ride systems and flappy paddle gearboxes and it is the one place I appreciate engine noise.

Ah, that's fine for you oldies who can drive. I have never driven a car that didn't have a computer "minding" me!

Despite having more than 800,000km accident free – am I really even able to drive?

Sponsored

 

[mjw930]

Porsche has already said the 911 will never be fully EV. THANK GOD!

 

[f1eng]

Ah, that's fine for you oldies who can drive. I have never driven a car that didn't have a computer "minding" me!

Despite having more than 800,000km accident free – am I really even able to drive?

I have no intention of ever driving the Taycan with driver over-ride switched off.

Driving a 2WD Ferrari without any sort of aids (except ABS) is not relaxing if pressing on but it is fun.

380bhp is way more than Pirelli P zeros can take at lower speeds, including from zero, so I am sure cars advertising more power than this have electronic intervention making sure you don’t get it a great deal of the time

 

[Amelio]

Re Panamera EV...is this more hearsay than anything? It sure sounds like it.

" The Panamera EV is still in the infancy of development, but the suggestions are that it will have a wheelbase and overall length similar to those of the existing long-wheelbase Panamera sold in China (3100mm and 5199mm)."

To me, the Taycan and Panamera are very similar looking cars, why would we need an EV version of the gas car when we already have one...the Taycan? Now, before someone goes off on how dissimilar the two cars are, I'm only talking from my eyes and point of view. I'm sure they're completely different machines, but the only ways I quickly know which is one is which is the tailpipes and the lights.

 

[Amelio]

I'm sure they've muttered not to worry about that little upstart EV company that's come a long ways since 2008.

My prediction is the gas version will be around for many years to come, but there will be a 718 or 911 EV within 10 years...2033! Just having a bit of fun here, not meaning to ruffle any feathers.

Porsche has already said the 911 will never be fully EV. THANK GOD!

 

[AtTheGlen]

A few years ago, I gave my dealership’s GM a paper suggesting that Porsche build a sporty, two-door Panamera GT to compete with similar cars in production at the time: Bentley GT, Aston Martin DB11/DBS, Mercedes S560 Coupe, BMW 6 series, and so on. Of course, VW group management might have mandated that Bentley be the only car in the group competing in this space.

My view was that buyers/owners loyal to the Porsche brand (performance, build quality, motorsports heritage, image, i.e., not flashy) would like to have a Porsche alternative in the high-performance, two-door GT space. At the time, I had a DB11 and GT3, and had previously enjoyed owning high-performance GT coupes including M-B‘s CL55s - but there was always a 911 in the garage, as well.

Since owning the Taycan GTS, I updated my view with the dealership saying that the concept would be better envisioned as a Taycan two-door GT. (In January 2022, there was an online article and a slightly overdone rendering about this: https://insideevs.com/news/559576/taycan-coupe-render/). Mercedes has stopped producing S-Class coupes/convertibles (and it is hard to imagine a two-door AMG EQS!) and, although the DBS is going out of production, Aston Martin has introduced the DB12.

But wait, with discussions about a Panamera EV, perhaps that is the model line more suitable for a two-door GT treatment in view of what I see as a potential buyer, which could include me. Like others who now own both a 911 and a Taycan, I see the Taycan as a credible sport sedan that, in so many ways, is as engaging to drive for almost all of my driving needs as the 911. I am looking forward to taking the Taycan GTS on a favorite canyon road in my area, where I think it will handle fine - a testament to what Porsche has done with the suspension.

I drove a Taycan Turbo S on the interesting track at the Los Angeles PEC when taking delivery of our Taycan GTS. Previously, I did the 911 Turbo S/GT3 Experience there with both the 991.1 and 992 generation cars. Although the additional weight (approx. 1,600 and 1,900 pounds) was evident in low-speed corners, the overall experience driving the Taycan at my personal 9.8/10ths was both amazing and satisfying.

 

[ben1]

Porsche has already said the 911 will never be fully EV. THANK GOD!

Yes, sure. When did we hear that before ?,
The 911 will always be naturally aspirated. No Turbo.
The 911 will always be air cooled. No water cooling
Porsche will never make diesels.
Porsche will never make SUV's.
....

Obviously the 911 will 100% surely be electric at some point in time. But also obviously Porsche will postpone this for a long time.
There will come a time when nobody will want to buy an ICE 911. I am very very sure of that. It is just how it always goes as technology moves on.

 

[Amelio]

Yes, sure. When did we hear that before ?,
The 911 will always be naturally aspirated. No Turbo.
The 911 will always be air cooled. No water cooling
Porsche will never make diesels.
Porsche will never make SUV's.
....

Obviously the 911 will 100% surely be electric at some point in time. But also obviously Porsche will postpone this for a long time.
There will come a time when nobody will want to buy an ICE 911. I am very very sure of that. It is just how it always goes as technology moves on.

Exactly.

 

[f1eng]

Re Panamera EV...is this more hearsay than anything? It sure sounds like it.

Porsche announced it last September.

Quite a few countries won’t allow the sale of IC engined cars after 2030 (for the moment - governments may chicken out if politically expedient)

 

[f1eng]

The problem with a 911 EV is its entire raison d’etre has always been the rear mounted flat 6 engine.
When it becomes an EV how do you discern it, and justify a higher selling price, from a 718?

If I were in the market for a Porsche sports car it would no longer be a 911 but a 718. Almost everything I loved about the 911 has been binned

 

[Amelio]

I've been trying to dig up a link from Porsche for more details but can't find anything...I'll keep looking...

When I find this type of announcement, it doesn't have any facts behind it, that's why I was wondering if it was hearsay:

Porsche Panamera EV confirmed, could rival the Mercedes EQS
https://topelectricsuv.com/news/porsche/porsche-panamera-ev
Porsche does not intend to discontinue the current Panamera with the launch of the electric model. As reported by Autocar, the company will give the gas model a facelift in 2023. Porsche plans to extend the current generation Panamera until 2030, according to company sources. We feel that for the car to reach

 

[tigerbalm]

The problem with a 911 EV is its entire raison d’etre has always been the rear mounted flat 6 engine.
When it becomes an EV how do you discern it, and justify a higher selling price, from a 718?

If I were in the market for a Porsche sports car it would no longer be a 911 but a 718. Almost everything I loved about the 911 has been binned

Much of the 911 model range is a Grand Tourer now – I'm okay with that!

 

[Amelio]

Way down the road, the 718 EV could be smaller with less features and range and power, and the 911 would have the best range, power, and features like air suspension, axle drop, torque vectoring, and the like. T does this with the Y and the X. Manual door handles, rougher ride no adj air/oil damping, less power, less range. And most people buy the Y. The Macan would/will be a fun little number as an EV, with the Cayenne with an extra motor and more power and range. It's fun to imagine this 80% EV lineup by 2030, isn't it?!

 

[Amelio]

I thought I knew when you meant, but to be sure I did a Wiki on "Grand Tourer" and found this:

A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. Grand tourers are most often the...

Close enough, and sounds good to me!

Much of the 911 model range is a Grand Tourer now – I'm okay with that!

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Yes, sure. When did we hear that before ?,
The 911 will always be naturally aspirated. No Turbo.
The 911 will always be air cooled. No water cooling
Porsche will never make diesels.
Porsche will never make SUV's.
....

Obviously the 911 will 100% surely be electric at some point in time. But also obviously Porsche will postpone this for a long time.
There will come a time when nobody will want to buy an ICE 911. I am very very sure of that. It is just how it always goes as technology moves on.

I ‘liked’ your post, but it was not Porsche themselves saying those things; just like in this case, it was the kibitzers.

Both Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche were well versed in the use of turbochargers for the various projects they had ton during the, uh, Second World Unpleasantness. The first turbo 911 was unveiled about 10 years after the introduction of the base model. Same goes for other technical solutions/choices like 4x4 (and SUVs, 953 and its Dakar/African successes), water cooling (the late 70s/early 80s racers, the transaxle cars, the 959). This is a company that usually fires people who say “we’ll never do …”

As @f1eng alluded (and as I’ve also incessantly posted here), the 911 is what it is because of its weight distribution and resulting dynamics. Can’t get that yet with an EV drivetrain, but you’re right that that time will come.

(edited to fix the grammar)

Sponsored