I have reviewed every electric car on the market. Except for the new Porsche Taycan. Which is entering a new era with the forthcoming Taycan and the company‘s first all-electric sports car is setting standards in interior design. Classic design features have been reinterpreted and brought into the digital age.
“The Taycan interior combines design elements typical for the brand with a new type of user experience, and impresses with its simple elegance.” explains Ivo van Hulten, Director Interior Design Style Porsche at Porsche AG. “Less is more applies here, too.”
Porsche will present the Taycan to a worldwide audience next month.
Typical Porsche: a dashboard designed for drivers and a sporting seating position.
The cleanly styled dashboard of the original 911 from 1963 was the inspiration; the stated goal was to bring it into the present day. The cockpit signals the start of a new era with its clear structure and completely new construction. The instrument panel has a clean, minimalist and ultra-modern design, and operating the controls is quick and free from distractions. The free-standing, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. In the Porsche tradition, it is clearly focused towards the driver and ensures that everything that’s needed for driving is in view.
The innovative instrument cluster consists of a curved 16.8-inch screen with the rounded look that is typical of Porsche. A top cowl has been omitted, which ensures a slim and modern appearance in the style of high-quality smartphones and tablets. Real glass and a vapour-deposited, polarising filter give anti-reflective properties.
Drivers can choose between four display modes for the instrument cluster:
• Classic mode (power meter) evokes the rounded instruments typical of Porsche. This display delivers information that’s clearly arranged, allowing for fast readability. A power meter replaces the rev counter in the middle instrument.
• Map mode replaces the central power meter with a map layout.
• Full Map mode intentionally omits the round instruments in favour of a navigation map displayed across the full display.
• The Pure mode displays only essential driving information such as speed, traffic signs and navigation using a minimalist arrow.
There are also small, touch-control fields at the edges of the screen for operating the light and chassis functions. The instrument cluster is therefore wider than the steering wheel and reminiscent of the iconic original 911.
Steering Wheel Design
The steering wheel has a light appearance, with two versions available. In addition to the standard item, which can be customised with coloured inserts as part of the accent package, Porsche also offers a GT sports steering wheel option. It has a distinctive design with visible screw heads and features the familiar Porsche round Mode Switch which can be used to select the various driving modes.
The upper and lower sections of the dashboard stretch across the entire width of the vehicle in the shape of a wing. A central 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look, thereby blending in visually with the interior.
All user interfaces have been completely re-designed for the Taycan. The number of traditional hardware controls, such as switches and buttons, have been greatly reduced. Instead, control is intelligent and intuitive – via touch operation or a voice control function that responds to the command “Hey Porsche”.
All vehicle configurations for the Taycan, such as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), can easily be set up on the central screen via direct access. The driver can quickly access all apps via a clearly structured and customisable home screen. Apps include navigation, telephone, media, comfort and Porsche Connect. With optimised voice control, drivers can access the required function even faster.
For the first time, front passengers in the Taycan have the option of their own touch display, allowing them to easily alter settings without distracting the driver.
The elevated centre console intensifies the feeling of a low seating position, as you would expect from a Porsche. It features a large 8.4-inch touch panel with haptic feedback. This allows the air-conditioning settings to be altered directly. Integrated handwriting recognition also allows quick address inputs to the navigation.
Every detail has been reduced to the essentials. As in the Porsche 918, the Taycan has a compact gear selector switch in the instrument panel instead of the classic selector lever. This gives the centre console a tidy look and also creates storage space.
A reduction to the essentials and a clear approach is also evident for the air vents. These have been fully modernised and can be operated intuitively. Traditional, mechanically-operated louvres belong in the past, as airflows are now controlled both digitally and fully automatically (“Virtual Airflow Control”). By clicking the Climate menu, it is possible to switch between “Focused” for fast, directional cooling and “Diffused” for draught-free air conditioning.
If the optional four-zone automatic climate control system (“Advanced Climate Control”) is specified, an additional 5.9-inch touch control panel with haptic feedback allows the system to be operated from the rear passenger seats.
A wide range of personalisation options and innovative material concepts.
The Taycan Colour
The Taycan colour and material designs allow for individualised equipment, from traditional through to sustainable and modern.
There is also the option of classic leather as well as the sustainably tanned Club Leather “OLEA”, which uses olive leaves in the tanning process. The natural quality of the leather is accentuated by means of a special cloud print.
A new feature is a fully leather-free interior with state-of-the-art surface textures. “Race-Tex” material is used, a high-quality microfibre material partially consisting of recycled polyester fibres. Its production has 80 per cent less CO2 than traditional materials. The floor covering uses the recycled fibre “Econyl®”, which is made from, among other things, recycled fishing nets.
The Taycan is available with a wide range of interior and exterior configurations, in both traditional and modern styles. Interior accents and trims underline the attention to detail while meeting the highest quality standards typical of Porsche in terms of material characteristics and workmanship.
Interior colours Black-Chalk Beige, Blackberry, Atacama Beige and Meranti Brown are exclusively available for the Taycan. The optional interior accent package also gives customers a choice of special contrasting colour schemes in black matt, dark silver or Neodyme, an elegant champagne tone. The doors and centre consoles can be wood trim, matt carbon, embossed aluminium or fabric.
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