YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- At this year’s Porsche World Roadshow, the automaker presented Taycan, the very first all-electric Porsche sports car, to South Korea for the first time.

It was one of 26 vehicle models delivered from the German head office for the PWRS, which was held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.

Of the four sessions planned for PWRS, the automaker organized a session dedicated to the Taycan, to introduce the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S models.

“Taycan is 100 percent electric, 100 percent sporty and 100 percent Porsche,” Porsche Korea Chief Executive Holger Gerrmann said.

The exterior of the four-door Taycan resembles the Panamera, Porsche’s large luxury sedan class sports car. But the driving experience feels more like the 911, the high performance rear-wheel-drive sports car.

The car’s ignition button was on the left side of the dashboard, just like all other Porsche models. Taycan’s shiny button resembled that of an electronic machine, as it started the car with a clicking sound, as to emphasize its identity as an electric vehicle. 

The Taycan models have not yet been launched in South Korea, and because of that, could not be test-driven on normal roads. Nonetheless, the steering and throttle response was lively, while at the same time, surprisingly quiet, even on the racing circuit.

Taycan Turbo S uses 800-volt technology instead of the usual 400 volts, with up to 761 horsepower, including “overboost.” The Taycan Turbo S accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.8 seconds, according to the automaker.

To test the overboost, drivers could press the accelerator to the floor, driving in a straight line

In a twinkle of an eye, Taycan revved up and a dot appeared on the dashboard to signal 0.9-G forces, as the speed shot up to over 150 kilometers per hour in a matter of seconds. 

The Taycan’s driving range is between 388 to 450 kilometers, depending on the model and driving conditions. The car‘s higher voltage allows for fast charging -- it can recharge from 5 percent to 80 percent in 22 minutes and 30 seconds.

The car also recovers up to 90 percent of its energy used in braking.

As a playful add-on, Porsche offers “Electric Sport Sound,” which replaces the familiar howling of the revving engine with space-inspired sci-fi noises.

Porsche Korea plans to launch the Tycan’s entry model, the Taycan 4S in the South Korean market in December. The Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S presented during the PWRS are expected for release here in 2021.
The entry-level Taycan 4S generates a total of 530 horsepower, and the price is set at 145.6 million won ($122,500).

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)