ron_b

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Matching the results from this forum POLL by @Reg very well.

Are you new to the Porsche brand? Vote here: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/previous-experience-with-porsche-and-evs.831


Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ycan-buyers-new-to-the-brand-says-porsche-ceo

Half of Taycan Buyers Are New to the Brand, Says Porsche CEO

January 24, 2020, 3:00 PM PST

Half of the people buying the Porsche Taycan have never owned a Porsche.

That’s according to Porsche North America chief Klaus Zellmer, speaking on Jan. 24 during a Bloomberg TV interview.

“Fifty percent [of Taycan buyers] are new to the brand, so they have never owned a Porsche before,” Zellmer says. “A conquest rate of 50% or more is a very good indication of having the right strategy, in our business model at least.”

Zellmer appeared on television to detail the upcoming Super Bowl LIV commercial featuring the all-electric sedan. That Porsche AG’s first Super Bowl TV ad since 1997 features a heist is fitting, as the German sportscar maker is working to steal customers from Tesla Inc. (The 1997 ad featured the first-generation Porsche Boxster.)

Tesla, Zellmer said, is Porsche’s key competitor.

“The main competitor in the outside world who is currently engaging with the Taycan is from Tesla,” Zellmer says, referencing data the company has compiled from consumer deposits for the car. “We respect that brand. We respect them preparing the market for battery electric vehicles. But we also respect their customers, who are now looking into driving a Porsche when it comes to battery electric.”

European luxury-car makers have struggled so far to compete with Tesla. Vehicles such as Audi AG’s E-Tron or the Jaguar I-Pace got off to a bumpy start, and Mercedes-Benz has had to postpone launching its own electric SUV. Meanwhile, Tesla’s market value topped Volkswagen AG’s for the first time on Jan. 21, soaring to more than $100 billion in a benchmark that will provide a sizable payout for founder Elon Musk if he can sustain the feat. Tesla’s market capitalization that day as high as $107.2 billion, exceeding VW’s $99.4 billion and ranking second only to Toyota Motor Corp.

The success of the Taycan, whose price can range from $104,000 to $185,000, is vital for Porsche as it debuts a far-reaching, $6 billion electric-car offensive. By 2025, Volkswagen AG’s most profitable brand expects plug-in hybrids and purely battery-powered cars to account for 50% of global deliveries. Even the 911—beloved by driving enthusiasts since 1963 and the most profitable sports car in the world—will become electrified one day, Zellmer says.

“Everything is going to go electric,” he says. “That’s the name of the game.”

Porsche avoided last year’s global auto industry woes and reported a 10% rise in deliveries, to a record 280,800 cars worldwide for 2019. But Zellmer also cautioned that despite the 10th consecutive sales record, future growth remains uncertain. The global economy “is potentially slowing down,” he says. “We need to be cautious.”

So far, early Taycan sales are yielding indeterminate results. While Porsche representatives have consistently said they’ve taken deposits on close to 30,000 of them worldwide, Zellmer notes during the interview that 130 were delivered in the U.S. in 2019.
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HK111

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Good observation about the poll. Thanks.
 

MissionC

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Probably why there’s so much worry over range, since I usually have to fill up around 220 miles in my current Porsche. :p
i was thinking about that today. According to my 911, I’m getting 17..5 MPG average, which is a mix of city (mostly) and highway driving. I drive around 6K miles/year and fill up my car every 9-10 days (highly dependent on travel, where my car can sit in my garage for a week). I get a little over 220 mile range in my car, so range anxiety is nonexistent for me. Filling up at home will be amazing freedom. If my calcs are correct, it’ll cost me about the same annually to power my Taycan as it does my Subzero fridges (The highest power draw item in my house).
 

feye

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HK111

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Good point. I tested the i8, and if that would have been a proper electric hell machine ("Höllenmaschine" is an affectionate German term for fast moving metal or also carbon fiber here :cool:), and not a slightly crippled car, it would have been that one.
 

louv

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Good point. I tested the i8, and if that would have been a proper electric hell machine ("Höllenmaschine" is an affectionate German term for fast moving metal or also carbon fiber here :cool:), and not a slightly crippled car, it would have been that one.
I owned (and loved) an i8 from 2015 until I traded it in for the Taycan. It was a fantastic and interesting stepping-stone transitional car. It might have been better as a full electric, but that wasn’t what it was. it was Jekyll and Hyde. A pedestrian-hunting electric car sometimes, and a back-country road sports car. I put over 33,000 miles on mine. But it attracted so much attention it was impossible to drive it anonymously. Which was ok.
 


epirali

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@louv I have had people almost go into oncoming traffic trying to take pictures of the i8! To me it is a unique beast, it’s not the fastest, most sporty, but it is so many things and done so well. I never wanted more power from it, it’s fast enough and handles very well. I just can’t believe BMW squandered their lead and innovation from the i8 to nothing.

I can’t compare the i8 to the Taycan, it’s two different beasts. Taycan is more surgical and precise and I’d dare say i8 is more fun In some ways?
 

kmcdonal

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I am a long-time Japanese sports car loyalist, but I want to go electric. The high performance electric options from the Japanese manufacturers are zip. I have toyed with buying a Porsche over the years, but the Taycan really sealed the deal for me.
 

HK111

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Proper speed of the i8 on the Autobahn
Porsche Taycan Half of Taycan Buyers Are New to the Brand, Says Porsche CEO TS_20170605_i8T251b
Yes, it looks good... The car is such a nice spaceship, and I really wanted to want it, but I did not want it after riding it to 250 on the Autobahn. It felt to me as if it had no real engine. And believe me, I told everybody at BMW that I knew that they should fit bigger rear tyres (a.k.a. "Schluppen", haha) and a V8 or real electric engine.
Porsche Taycan Half of Taycan Buyers Are New to the Brand, Says Porsche CEO TS_20170605_i8b


Proper speed of the i8 on the Autobahn.
 

epirali

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It’s true the one downside for the i8 Is at higher speed you are just down to the 3 cylinder turbo, but as the designer always pointed out they did not want bigger engine or battery. To make a “faster” i8 they would need bigger engine in back, which would eat up space, and be heavier. To balance the car back they would need bigger motor in the front, and bigger battery. Again more weight. And the whole idea was using carbon fiber for frame for stiffness/lightness, and balance the overall power with the weight and balance. That is why I say I love the i8 the way it is, it is not a compromise for what it wants to be. And with a measured 0 to 60 of 3.7 it is more than fast enough until you get fully out of the range of the electric motor. The 2 speed in the front allowed the electric motor to assist to around 110 or 120 mph if I remember.

Also I love the interior of the Taycan, specially at night. But its more “cockpit” and the interior of the i8 is warmer and more “inviting” place to be if that makes sense, specially in the smaller 2 seater Roadster. And, well, its a Roadster!
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