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WATCH | How the electric Taycan sports car stays true to Porsche driving traits

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2020 Porsche Taycan 4S electric car. Image: David McNew / Getty Images
2020 Porsche Taycan 4S electric car. Image: David McNew / Getty Images

Porsche gave the motoring world quite a scare when it announced that it will be producing an all-electric sports car, the Taycan.

While this was due to happen at some stage, it still came as a shock that one of the world’s finest sports car makers was going down this route. But fear not, says Porsche, because the Taycan will not do away with the heritage and DNA of all Porsche sports cars before it.

Speaking of its predecessors, the 918 Spyder - the world’s first plug-in hybrid super sports car, according to Porsche - and 918 hybrid that won Le Mans, paved the way for the Taycan to go into production. Porsche’s expertise in these fields came in handy when drawing up the blueprint for their their first electrified vehicle.

According to Porsche, the Taycan has a low centre of gravity, a 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds, and features both launch control and all-wheel-drive.

Manfred Bräunl, the CEO of Porsche Middle East, India and Africa FZE (Free Zone Establishment), discusses the features of the new sports car and why he thinks it is primed for the region in the video below.

The range

According to one of our earlier articles on the Taycan, Porsche South Africa will announce model availability and pricing during the first half of 2020, while the vehicle's local launch is due in 2021's second half.

As it stands, the Taycan range will comprise of three models - the Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo, Taycan Turbo S. The Turbo S, the top model in the range, is said to produce 460KW, but on overboost drivers will have 560kW to their disposal. Torque is a hair-raising 1050Nm.

0 - 100km/h will take only 2.8 seconds, while the expected range is between 388 - 412km.

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