Porsche's First Electric Car 'Taycan' to Launch Domestically This Year... Starting at 145.6 Million KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Porsche will launch its first-ever electric vehicle, the 'Taycan,' in South Korea within this year. Depending on the model, the price will reach up to 233.6 million KRW, making it the most expensive electric car released domestically. Amid the rapid growth of the luxury electric vehicle market centered around Tesla, Porsche Korea's sales have grown by nearly 50% compared to the previous year, raising interest in whether Porsche can join the '10,000 units per year club' with the addition of the Taycan.

On the 16th, Porsche Korea held the '2020 Mid-Year Press Conference' at the 'Porsche Studio Cheongdam' in Seoul, announcing the Taycan launch plans along with the brand's future growth strategy.

On this day, Holger Geyermann, CEO of Porsche Korea, announced that starting with the entry model 'Taycan 4S' in the second half of this year, the 'Taycan Turbo' and 'Turbo S' will be sequentially introduced in the first half of next year. CEO Geyermann explained, "Although the launch schedule is somewhat unstable due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Korean consumers will be able to experience the Taycan within this year."

The Taycan is Porsche's first electric vehicle officially unveiled in September last year. It can travel 100 km with a 5-minute charge, and the Taycan Turbo S delivers a maximum output of 761 horsepower, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds. Additionally, it can travel 412 km on a single charge, with a top speed of 260 km/h.

The prices are 145.6 million KRW for the Taycan 4S, which will be released first, 195.5 million KRW for the Taycan Turbo, and 233.6 million KRW for the Taycan Turbo S. Considering that Tesla's Model S is priced at 138.6 million KRW and Model X at 141.6 million KRW, the Taycan will be the most expensive electric vehicle released in South Korea.

Porsche has recently shown rapid growth. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), Porsche sold 4,285 units in 2018 and 4,204 units last year. From January to May this year, it sold 3,433 units, showing a 46.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Considering that Mini and Jeep, which surpassed 10,000 units last year, sold 3,804 and 3,829 units respectively, Porsche is expected to achieve 10,000 units in sales this year as well.

The secret to Porsche's popularity largely lies in new model launches. This year, Porsche released the new 911 and Cayenne Coupe. Additionally, the launch of the 'Macan GTS,' '911 Targa,' 'Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition,' and Taycan is scheduled this year, which is expected to further boost momentum.

Meanwhile, Porsche Korea announced that it will accelerate the establishment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to prepare for the electrification era. They are preparing Korea's first 320kW ultra-fast chargers at about 10 major locations nationwide, including Emart Seongsu and Yangjae stores, as well as at nine Porsche centers nationwide, and plan to install slow chargers at over 120 locations across the country.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.