To kick off 2019, Porsche wants as little momentum as possible to be lost in the ramp up to the full reveal of the Taycan, a four-door all-electric sports saloon set to rival the likes of the Tesla Model S. To selected recipients, the company sent a private email with a link to an otherwise unfindable page on the Porsche USA website.
Luckily for us TaycanForum.com published the address to said web page where the latest design sketches for the upcoming Porsche model were waiting to be downloaded. Importantly, they look very good indeed.
The first ever production Porsche electric vehicle is one that most fans of the Zuffenhausen automaker are anticipating with equal degrees of excitement and caution. Due to be unveiled in its final form at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year as a 2020 model, the Taycan would then be due in showrooms in early 2020.
Back in 2015 when Porsche unveiled the Mission E, the crowd loved its curvy aesthetic and saw it as a beacon of innovation. As years passed and the development car began making public outings, there was some concern that the car wouldn’t remain as faithful to the stunner concept car that got us so keyed up in the first place.
In these sketches, if they are indeed a close representation of the final design, the Taycan sticks very close to the styling established by the Mission E while also incorporating various cues from the most recent production Porsches such as the 992-series 911.
At the front, a large and almost Aston Martin Vantage-esque maw dominates the bottom fascia while the sleek four-point headlights are, per the Mission E, are integrated into a cooling duct that also frames the square front end. Because the electric powertrain is liquid cooled and doesn’t always need a radiator, we’re assuming these will be closed until additional brake cooling is required.
The rest of the side profile looks even sportier with a rather wide looking set of hips that huge the rear wheels a-la 911. To the uninformed, very little to even suggest that the Taycan shown here even has four-doors at all and could easily be interpreted as a larger front or mid-engine Porsche grand tourer.
Of course, this is obviously just an artists impression of what the car will look like. However, the rest of the car’s proportions do not look overly exaggerated making us rather curious why the roofline taper is so dramatic after it peaks at at the A-pillar. There’s no way two 6-foot adults can comfortably squeeze in behind the front occupants in a car with that low a roofline.
The second sketch shows us the Taycan’s rear which does give us more clarity into its four-door layout - while the roofline still seems obscenely low, the wheelbase is more believable for a four-door and there’s even a hint of a rear quarter light.
A single horizontal light strip is a direct nod to the new 911, replete with floating Porsche lettering, and there’s quite an aggressive rear diffuser element uninterrupted by any pesky exhaust exits, because obviously.
Reportedly, these sketches were accompanied by some words from Porsche in that private email distribution, stating the following:
"Our start to 2019 is charged with excitement. This is the year when the first all-electric Porsche will become a reality. The Taycan is certain to enthrall not only test drivers, but also our customers with its performance. When it rolls off the production line and onto the roads, it will offer a true dynamic Porsche driving experience like every Porsche before it."
"Finishing work on the assembly line in Zuffenhausen is entering the final straight and the expansion of charging infrastructure worldwide is advancing at a great pace. The historic main manufacturing center is being made fit for the automotive production of the future, as the outside world is preparing for a new standard in charging performance – typical of Porsche, the best in its class. All preparations are underway for a successful start for the Taycan."
The Taycan has been previously reported to boast an electric powertrain with an high output electric motor assigned axle equalling to a combined output of around 447kW. Its floor mounted battery array will be near the 100kWh mark and should be able to provide it with a range of up to 500km in between charges.
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