CNBC-TV18’s Post

Transcript

The Porsche tycoon journey has been nothing short of an electrifying saga in the automotive realm, and now there's a new one. The Marshall take hand came about four years ago and it instantly showcased the German sports car makers province at creating electric cars. You know the typical aerodynamic shape of a Porsche or the lack of grills and air dams at the front because porches are typically rear engined or that magic portion when it comes to razor fast reflexes and that telepathic handling. All of these things are characteristic to the states that come out of Stuttgart. So adapting all of that for a fast. Cordor electric vehicle wasn't really rocket science and the take on delivered. In fact Porsche have delivered over 150 thousand of these around the globe, out of which about 191 are delivered in India. That amounts to about 10% of their local sales. Those kind of numbers coming for a premium expensive 4 door electric like this is no joke. Now we can always argue that it was easy pickings for the Taikan back then because there was hardly any competition but in today's times. All the German luxury car makers have varied options across varied body styles and then you have the Asian options or even cars from Korea that are giving you. Excellent performance. So for the Taikan to still maintain that benchmark as the best electric vehicle you can buy, they needed to do a lot more than a simple nip and tuck job for its midlife makeover. And that's exactly what they have done. In fact, when the engineers were presented with the budget for the midlife makeover, they use 50% of that to improve the performance and the efficiency. But has it all worked? Let's find out. Or she's decided that rather than fiddling around the edges, they would rather take a chainsaw to the tycoons refresh. So what you get is a Tygon that accelerates more rapidly, charges with increased speed and stability, and offers more range than before. For example, the Tycon Turbo S in its latest guys is not merely provoking its petrol powered cousins, but is now blitzing past them, hitting the turn in 2.4 seconds. So that means it's actually quicker than most of the 9/11 you can buy right now. Honestly, I don't like the sound of it, pun intended. But these Evias are getting bloody quick. In India, the Taikan Turbo will lead the charge, catapulting from not 200 in a swift 2.7 seconds. And even the more sedate offerings like the Taikan 4S and the base tycoon still deliver more verb and vigor than before, with more power and quicker acceleration. The increase in acceleration across the board is attributable to a rise in system output. The base model alone sees a jump of 60 kilowatt. While the Turbo flexes its muscles with an astonishing 884 PS, it's a clear message that Porsche isn't just about maintaining pace in the EV race. Their intent is setting a blistering 1. The visual cues of the Thai Chang's evolution are subtle, yet significant. Porsche has finished the design by sharpening the aesthetics. The flattened headlights and the broadened front wings articulate the Taikan stance, making it appear assertive and wide. The rear end, while subtly refreshed, is accentuated by the Porsche logo in a new illuminated guise, an element of flair that polarizes opinion. Aerodynamics have been the cornerstone of Porsche design, and the new Taikan continues in this tradition. This little crease that you see right on top of the headlight that wasn't there on the outgoing card, this one improves the aerodynamic efficiency and the tires on these. These are the Pirelli P0R. Now these are specifically designed with Porsche for the Taikan. These are lower resistance than the outgoing car and yet managed to give you better grip around winding roads. All of this combined gives you better efficiency. In fact, the wheels and tires alone are contributing to 40 kilometers extra range on the overall. Game. Speaking of range, the new Taikan climbs to an optimistic 678 kilometers on the WLTP cycle, flaunting a 35% range improvement. This is courtesy of the collective efforts of enhanced aerodynamics and optimized powertrain, advanced energy recuperation, and the latest range management software. The tiki's performance battery, too, has been on the growth spurt, ballooning from a respectable 93 kWh to a more substantial 105 kWh. And yet being lighter than before. Yacht real-world conditions tell their own tale. During our short test, the Titan 4S flaunted a range mood figure of around 453 kilometers, which is still impressive but rapidly depleting to around 270 kilometers when driven in sport mode for around 42 kilometers or more. Exhaustive range evaluation is impending then, once the vehicle graces Indian tarmac, which would provide a comprehensive depiction of its range capabilities in the local conditions. Equally worthy of notice, the tycoons enhance recharging capabilities. Another bit of improvement that Porsche has manner and the tigon is with the charging types. So now you can have up to 320 kilowatt. Fast charging. That's if the charger supports it, if the infrastructure supports it. But when you do, what portion have done is they've increased the number of minutes for which you can use that kind of fast charging. So in about 18 minutes you can go from 10 to 80%. What they've done now is employed better thermal management with the batteries, which essentially means that the batteries can stay cooler for longer during the fast charging period, which means you can actually get that kind of fast charging. Get that kind of juice back into the batteries in a short amount of time, 18 minutes. That's the kind of time that you would take to just go grab a coffee, take a bio break, and come back to the parking there again. Good to go for a long haul. However, it's important to note that these charging times are based on an ambient temperature of 15��C. In hotter climates, like in India, charging times might be longer, even if you were to find a 320 kilowatt fast charger in the future. Does this additional power make a tangible difference? Absolutely. Otherwise why would you be paying top buck for an EV from Porsche? Now honestly, I simply don't find Evz as involving to drive as their eyes counterparts, but if you like the way they drive, the performance announcements make the Tygon more fun than before, while the Enhanced Grange means you don't have to take breaks that often. There are a bunch of other things too that aim to up the fun quotient. Like for example with the Sport Chrono package you get the push to pass function. So when you're at highway speeds like I'm at right now and you have a slow moving vehicle at a long vehicle in front of you or you can engage is the boost mode. This little switch right here in the middle of the drive mode selector on the satellite button. Press that and put 10 seconds. To get a massive boost of power, 70 kilowatt to be precise for 10 seconds, 2nd 34 year old. Take it. Get back into your life. There's also this Sonic sound that complements this quick boost. So you. That's the kind of thing that electric vehicles give you. Instantaneous power. Even better. This makes maneuvers like overtaking corner exits and justice accelerating in a straight line, more thrilling. This feature underscores the tycoon's ability to deliver power instantaneously. The characteristic of EV is that redefines traditional driving dynamics. The new tycoons right quality significantly benefits from the introduction of the active ride function. This new feature builds upon the plush air suspension of the previous Taikan which is now standard, but the addition of active right brings new dimensions to the Tycoons handling and comfort Air suspension is now standard on the take on. But what you can also offer is active, right? So essentially it begins with opening the door. Whenever you open the door, the car is going to raise itself by about 50mm. And that is to make the ingress and egress a little bit more convenient. Now we've seen this tech in the past, what active ride also gets you is an active lean control, so essentially when you are approaching winding roads. The guys want to lean into the corner and like a motorcycle again, something that you've heard us say in the past with some other sports cars like the Escape G for example. You also have the active Skyhook, which essentially is going to only let the wheels move up and down while the rest of the body remains stable. Again, something that you've learned as say, in the past with all the other vehicles. So the differentiating factor here is that. In the past vehicles like the Audi A8L for exam will have employed 48 Volt electronics to have take like this. However, now with current generation technology with an electric vehicle you have 800 Volt electronics. So they have completely done away with the 48 Volt system with that kind of power, with that kind of technology. Essentially the suspension is reacting a lot lot quicker to all these kind of inputs, to all these kind of data points, which means that. All these actions are happening at a blisteringly fast pace. Even before you can blink, the cars already thought about what it needs to do with the suspension, which is what makes it technologically better than similar tech that we've seen in the past. Switching to Sport mode alters the tiki's character to that of a traditional Quasha, allowing you more natural chassis moments and providing that familiar Porsche driving dynamics. With these massive wheels, the right quality obviously is on the firmer side. It could be firmer still when it comes to India. Obviously they might give you options with smaller wheels also. But what I've noticed here is that in the range mode, the right quality is actually a little bit harsher. You're better off in the normal mode, but that's because in the range mode the car is hunkering down completely as low as it can go to increase that aerodynamic efficiency, whereas in normal mode it's still staying slightly higher. Enables a slightly better given the suspension, which translates to better ride quality overall. In the height electric sports car segment, the Porsche Tycoon faces formidable competition primarily from the Tesla model, less plate and the Audi Etron GT. Each model has its unique strengths, but the Tycoons all round improvements give it a distinct edge. Or just focus on a holistic driving experience, including superior driving dynamics, luxurious interiors and The brand's prestigious heritage offers a more comprehensive package that appeals to a broad spectrum of consumers. In the Indian market. The competition is even less intense for the Taikan. Tesla is yet to make an entry, and the Audi Etron GT doesn't have the same level of visibility or desirability as the Taycan. This situation effectively leaves Porches offering without any direct competition in our region, enhancing its appeal. Portia's commitment to real world usability is evident in the Tycoons increase range and reduce charging times. Addressing common concerns like range anxiety and the inconvenience of long charging periods. These enhancements cater not only to the practical aspects of owning an EV, but also align well with the expectations of Porsche's customer base. Porsche has also been proactive in standardizing features that. Value and enhance the ownership experience. This includes the Adaptive Air Suspension for a comfortable ride, improved thermal management for better efficiency, and the Porsche Intelligent Range Manager for optimized performance. These features contribute to making the Tigan an attractive option not just as a performance vehicle, but as an everyday electric car as well. To sum it up, the 2025 Porsche Taikan sets a new standard in the performance EV sector that combines an upgraded powertrain, elegant design and the latest technology to offer a driving experience that's both exciting and practical for daily use. With these enhancements that I can not only meets the expectations of those seeking a high performance electric vehicle, but also establishes a new benchmark for others in its class to aspire to. So to answer the question we began with, is it still one of the best EV you can buy? Well, clearly it is the kind of performance that it offers and with that kind of design, that kind of build, that kind of finish, it's a Porsche after all. So it is still one of the best EVs that you can buy. What can you buy, however, in India? Well, at launch, Porsche will introduce the Taikan base, there will be the Tycoon 4S and the Taikan Turbo. Will the Tycon GT arrive to our shores? Well, only time will tell. If there is enough demand, it might actually come there. The 9/11 GT3 Rs is there, so why not the GT? I think it might make for an excellent track tool if you want to go that electrification wave.