This ain’t nothing new but, just in case you didn’t know, when journalists conduct a review, it’s because an automaker lent them a vehicle for a week or so; for comparisons, we have to contact two or more automakers, depending on the number of cars.
However, in the case of Canadian journalists looking to compare the Taycan to its natural competitor, they will have only one press office to check with because Porsche Canada are so confident that their EV will come out on top that they’re lending a Tesla Model S out, too.
The program, says Porsche Canada’s public relations manager Patrick Saint-Pierre, is just a short one and it came about because Tesla doesn’t lend vehicles in Canada. In fact, in October, Tesla became the first automaker to completely shut down its whole media relations team. In order to get one, then, you have to know someone willing to lend it to you.
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Thus, Porsche took it upon itself to make the comparison happen.
“A lot of journalists in Canada haven’t been able to find one,” Saint-Pierre told us over the phone. “I wanted to see if any dealer had any cars in stock.”
As it turned out, one of Porsche’s Canadian dealers had one, a Model S P100, so they lent it to the media department. This isn’t the first time Porsche has lent out Teslas.
At the start of 2020, when the first Taycan test drives were taking place, the brand’s U.S. wing had a Tesla on-hand as a sort of comparison point. It speaks volumes about Porsche’s faith in the Taycan, though, that they’ve decided to do it again, albeit in a different press office.
“I mean we definitely were and are confident,” Saint-Pierre stated. “It’s one thing to be confident and it’s another to test it. It was a bit of an unusual way of doing things, but I just thought, let’s do it. I didn’t have to do too much arm twisting. Everyone was like, ‘Alright let’s do it!'”
To the Tesla’s credit, it has come off well against the Taycan despite Porsche getting both cars out. As Autotrader.ca puts it, “the Taycan might be the future king, but the Model S isn’t ready to give up the throne just yet.”
To be compared to one of the most well regarded EVs on the market, though, is no small accomplishment. And it’s one that wouldn’t have come about without Porsche’s participation.
