Huh? Top Porsche Taycan Said To Be Called The Turbo, Feature Zero Turbos

Electric vehicles represent a bit of a challenge for automakers who typically name their vehicles after engine characteristics and it appears there will be some pretty bizarre names in the future.

Audi kicked things off last year, ahead of the e-tron’s launch. Instead of using familiar 2.0T and 3.0T monikers, the company developed a convoluted naming scheme based on horsepower ratings that no one will remember.

Porsche appears to be ignoring the issue altogether as The Drive’s Alex Roy recently discovered. He signed up to place a deposit on the upcoming Taycan and received an e-mail from a brand ambassador saying there will be three versions of the electric vehicle called the Taycan, Taycan 4S and Taycan Turbo.

The most interesting thing about the exchange – aside from prices – is the fact that Porsche will apparently plaster a Turbo moniker on a car that doesn’t have a turbocharger, let alone an internal combustion engine. While it’s obvious why Porsche would want to continue to use the familiar Turbo name, it’s also complete nonsense.

It appears the performance version of the Porsche Taycan EV will be branded “Turbo”.

Because ICE nomenclature is how one converts customers to EV.

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— Alex Roy (@AlexRoy144) December 26, 2018

Getting back to pricing, the brand ambassador said the entry-level Taycan will start in the low $90,000 range. The Taycan 4S, on the other hand, will start in the upper $90,000 range. Lastly, the Taycan Turbo will set buyers back over $130,000.

If these prices are accurate, it means previous reports about the Taycan slotting between the Cayenne and Panamera were slightly incorrect. The entry-level Panamera starts at $86,300 while the Panamera 4S begins at $104,000. However, the Taycan Turbo would cost significantly less than the Panamera Turbo which retails for $151,500.

It’s also worth noting that the entry-level Taycan isn’t called the Taycan 4. This suggests the entry-level model will be rear-wheel drive which is interesting as Porsche has previously said the car will use two electric motors that produce a combined output in excess of 592 hp (441 kW / 600 PS). If the entry-level model is indeed rear-wheel drive only, it could presumably ditch one of those electric motors.

We’ve reached out to Porsche for clarification and we’ll update this post when / if we hear back.