Porsche Taycan Lineup Will Add RWD Models (With Lower Price)

A recent interview with Porsche R&D head confirms the Taycan lineup will extend downmarket.

In a phone interview with CAR, Dr Michael Steiner stated an entry-level Taycan is coming. “There will be a rear-wheel drive model with a smaller battery to make it more accessible price-wise,” said Steiner, adding that markets like China drive the demand. The Chinese market doesn’t place the same importance on AWD as countries like the US and Canada, according to Steiner.

SEE ALSO: 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S First Drive Review

Currently every Taycan model sends power to all four wheels. The lineup starts with the Taycan 4S, ringing in at $105,150 including destination. That six-digit starting price includes a 79.2 kWh battery and 522 hp, with an EPA-rated range of 203 miles. The next step up the ladder costs more than the average new car purchase price, with the $152,250 Taycan Turbo adopting a 93.4 kWh battery and boosting horsepower to 616. Meanwhile the top-shelf Turbo S demands $186,350. The EPA rates the Turbo and Turbo S at 201 and 192 miles of range, respectively, though numerous outlets have reported much higher numbers in the real world.

Steiner wouldn’t confirm how much smaller the battery would be either, which makes it harder to predict range. He also wouldn’t talk price points for this less expensive Taycan. “We generally do not speak about future products,” a Porsche rep told AutoGuide when asked for comment, “but our electrification initiative will not stop at three Taycan variants.”

Using the current Panamera and 911 lineups as a guide—both feature “base” models alongside 4S versions—an entry-level Taycan could come in around $20,000 less than the existing 4S.

That would put the price between the two current Tesla Model S models, the $81,190 Long Range and $101,110 Performance. As the main competitor to the Taycan, the Model S remains in the eyes of many as the yardstick for the class. Porsche expanding the Taycan lineup will further cement its status as a true alternative, offering models for a variety of uses in much the same way the 911 does for sports cars.