The Extraordinarily Important Role Of The Porsche Taycan For Electric Mobility

Since the presentation of the Porsche Taycan last Wednesday, forums and media have been flooded with discussions. Also here and here we analyzed the vehicle, of what is still aching, and what has been extraordinary.

But one thing has to be explicitly stated: the role of the Taycan and Porsche in bringing electric mobility to the masses must not be underestimated. After Tesla, a company that has been single-handedly preparing the market for the electric vehicles, and brought this topic to the attention of many, the Porsche Taycan will bring the next push.

Even though Porsche’s vehicles won’t be affordable for the majority of consumers, Porsche represents a dream. And the Taycan contributes to the fact that uninspired, sloppy jobs of weak, awkward and overpriced vehicles, such as the Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron or Jaguar iPace, are considered unacceptable by consumers.

The Porsche Taycan inspires, not because the car is over-the-top – so far Tesla is still ahead in some of the performance data – but the entire Porsche team has picked up the gauntlet and put all of their effort behind the car. A new platform, really high benchmarks of what the car must be capable – the car is a Porsche after all – and a lot of innovation and daring culminated in the car. That’s the spirit. And that is the result, when you take a competitor seriously and want to beat them.

With the Porsche Taycan, both customers and manufacturers understand, that vehicles such as the Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron or Jaguar iPace, which were developed as pure compliance cars with the sole purpose to reduce fleet emissions and fuel usage, are without heart, and which manufacturers would simply like to hide them, but are forced to offer them, that those vehicles are unacceptable. And Diesel and gas cars as well.

With this week’s presentation of the Taycan, Mercedes, Audi, BMW and all others lost their credibility of telling people that the ‘electric mobility won’t be here any time soon‘ or ‘customers are not buying EVs. The Taycan made shit real. Porsche has shown (German) manufacturers a car that is now a benchmark for them, even though Tesla had been around for some years, but wasn’t taken seriously. All kinds of reasons were invented of why Tesla is not important. Starting this week, they are forced to take their best talents and put them on the development and production of electric vehicles, in an effort comparable to the moon landing only. Only then German and traditional automakers may have a chance for survival. If they are not kicking ass now and stop inventing excuses on why EVs are not the future, maybe then these companies have a future.

If VW, Mercedes, and BMW survive and offer EVs in all price ranges and vehicle classes, then this is thanks to the Porsche Taycan. And that is the extraordinary importance of the Taycan for German and other traditional automakers. And for that we have to thank and support Porsche.

This article was also published in German.