Porsche Set to Introduce a More Affordable Taycan With Rear-Wheel Drive

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

The Porsche Taycan is the first fully-electric car from the German automaker.

The current crop of electric cars are incredibly expensive, especially if you're shopping in the realm of EVs with blistering performance. If you're looking to get into Porsche's latest electric vehicle, the Taycan, you'll need to have at least $100,000 for the base 4S. And if you want neck-snapping performance, you're looking at a starting price of $185,000 for the Turbo S. Clearly, affordability isn't one of the Taycan's strengths.

New RWD Model Coming

Apparently, that's something Porsche is looking to fix in the near future. Speaking with the U.K.'s CAR magazine, Porsche's R&D chief Dr. Michael Steiner stated that the Taycan range will continue to grow, with a more affordable, two-wheel-drive version on the horizon.

"There will be entry-level models coming off the Taycan," said Steiner in a phone interview with the outlet. "There will be a rear-wheel drive model with a smaller battery to make it more accessible price-wise, especially for markets that don't need 4wd – places like China, where weather conditions mean you don't need it."

It's the first time we've heard of a two-wheel-drive Taycan, as the rest of the electric lineup is all-wheel drive only. Beyond confirming that a rear-wheel-drive Taycan is on the way, there's not a lot of other information to go off of.

While we know that the upcoming Taycan trim will have a smaller battery, we don't know how small it will be. The base Taycan 4S comes with a 79.2-kWh battery pack, while a larger 93.4-kWh pack is an option. The EPA hasn't put out official figures for the smaller battery pack in the Taycan 4S yet, but Porsche claims it can travel up to 203 miles on a single charge. For reference, the Turbo trim with the 93.4-kWh pack is good for 201 miles of range. So, our best guess for the upcoming rear-wheel-drive Taycan is that range will hover around 180 miles.

In terms of pricing, we expect the sedan to start at just below $100,000. This is a Porsche, after all, and it's the brand's latest, and most high-tech vehicle. So, it will certainly be expensive  – just less expensive than other Taycans. Pricing, though, will certainly depend on what kind of battery the automaker ends up using in the vehicle.

Will It Come To The U.S.?

Performance is also another area of interest for the upcoming Taycan. The Taycan 4S has two electric motors for a combined output of 482 horsepower. With the larger battery pack, horsepower is increased to 562. The Turbo model packs 670 hp, while the Turbo S is rated at 750 hp. One less electric motor means less power. So, the rear-wheel-drive Taycan is shaping up to be the most affordable, least powerful, and least useable trim in the lineup.

The largest issue with the sedan, though, is where it will be sold. While Steiner specifically stated that China would be the primary market, there's no word about the U.S. Consumers in America rely on all-wheel drive to get through inclement weather. The majority of high-end electric vehicles that are on sale in America come with all-wheel drive, so a Taycan without the ability to send power to all four wheels may not do all that well here.

Either way, it sounds like Porsche has at least one more trim lined up for the Taycan, which has thinking about future possible trims, too.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods