Porsche launches all-electric Taycan range in India; starts at Rs 1.5 cr

German luxury sports carmaker Porsche on Friday launched its all-electric Taycan range in India with price starting at Rs 1.5 crore along with the latest version of its compact SUV Macan priced Rs 83.21 lakh onwards with an aim to further accelerate its growth in the country.

The Taycan is Porsche's first ever, fully electric model and will be available in four saloon models comprising the Taycan, Taycan 4S, Turbo and Turbo S. A 'Cross Turismo' variant will also be available in the 4S, Turbo and Turbo S versions, Porsche India said.

These are powered by battery units with capacities ranging from single-deck 79.2 kWh to two-deck 93.4 kWh.

"The Taycan was already introduced in the other markets around the world and now it's time for India. We wanted to do it earlier but COVID-19 didn't allow us to do it," Porsche India Brand Head Manolito Vujicic told PTI.

Now with the official launch, he said, "we expect the first deliveries in quarter one of next year (2022)."

Porsche has already delivered 30,000 units of the Taycan in other global markets, he said, adding the company is confident that the electric sports car would also have a good response in India as it has been able to achieve globally.

"Our expectation is to fulfill the same percentage of Taycan deliveries globally (in India)," he said.

Vujicic said the company will offer home charging kits as well as charging facilities at its dealerships to its Taycan customers.

"We will also cooperate with our colleagues particularly, of Audi, to be able to work on a sustainable network within the VW group," he said.

Commenting on the significance of the two new launches, he said Porsche did exceptionally well in India registering its best Q3 performance despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the new models will further drive the growth.

He further said the introductions of Taycan and the latest Macan in India coinciding with Porsche's dealer expansion is a proof of the roadmap the company is creating for future business growth in the country as it invests in new products and facilities throughout 2022.

The company will open four new showrooms in the first half of 2022 bringing the total dealer network to nine locations in India, he added.

In July-September period of 2021, it registered a 164 per cent growth over the same period in 2020 and a 25 per cent growth over its "previous best third quarter from 2014".

Overall, in the first nine months of 2021 Porsche India delivered 334 new cars, a growth 90 per cent over previous year 2020.

"Our ambition is to become the fastest (growing) luxury brand in India. For sure, we will continue in this manner and our aspiration is that next year will become the best year in our history here in India," Vujicic said.

Porsche India said its Taycan Turbo S sports saloon is the most powerful sports car in the Porsche range and generates power of up 560 kW and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds. Depending on the variant, the Taycan range has a mileage between 456-484 km on a single charge.

The latest Macan comes in three variants -- Macan, Macan S and Macan GTS.

The Macan variant has a four-cylinder engine with power output of 195 kW capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds with a top speed of 232km/hr, the company said.

On the other hand, Macan S has a 2.9 litre-engine with power output of 280 kW and can accelerate from 0-100km/hr in 4.6 seconds , while the Macan GTS has a similar 2.9 litre biturbo engine with power of 324 kW capable of accelerating from 0-100km/hr in 4.3 seconds, it added.