Porsche showcases all-new Taycan interior
All-electric model is said to use original 911 dash as its inspiration
There's not long to go now until Porsche officially unveils the Taycan - the all-electric model tasked with the job of taking the brand into a zero-emission future. The teasing has been fairly relentless, and that's understandable; this week we've arrived at the car's interior, where "classic design features have been reinterpreted and brought into the digital age". Which is appropriate.
It's a sign of the Taycan's importance that Porsche is keen to reference royalty: the dash is said to have been influenced by the 911 from 1963 - genesis, in other words. Really though, the manufacturer is trying to communicate its minimalist instincts, because the layout is as 'ultra modern' as it gets.
For a start, there are four screens. Four. The driver sits facing a 16.8-inch digital instrument cluster - the first fully digital one in a Porsche - with curved glass and no hood, shaming even the very latest Audi Virtual Cockpit by some margin. Either side of the display are touch sensitive buttons that in other Porsches would be located on the transmission tunnel (such as the damper switch), a move that designers said makes better use of space.
Interestingly, the gear selector is said to be located in the same position as the 918's - an obvious nod to what was previously Porsche's most famous electrified model. But for most occupants the most notable feature will be a 10.9-inch centre console display, which runs Porsche's most advanced infotainment tech yet, including a sat nav system that works much like Google Maps. While the cabin air flow settings are also accessed here, with the vent angles controlled by dragging the airflow lines around the screen. Want more air on your face? Drag the air flow lines to where your head is and the cabin's airflow will be automatically directed there, but without you actually feeling any air flow - so no more dry eyes...
The transmission tunnel screen is 8.4 inches and it features haptic touch, controlling climate control temps. It's a bit like the Range Rover Velar's system, only with Porsche graphics - although there is also a handwriting section that can be used to control the main infotainment system or write addresses for the sat nav. We're told it's extremely clever and learns its user's habits, so messy writers need not be discouraged.
The final screen is a 10.9-inch passenger display. This is optional, but Porsche expects the majority of buyers to spec it because they'll likely be a tech savvy bunch. The screen is combined with the centre display in a continuous cabin-wide black panel, and will only turn on when there's a passenger in front of it. When on, it allows access to almost all of the cabin's functions, with the exclusion, of course, of anything related to the car's powertrain or drive settings.
A likely useful feature will be the passenger control of the sat nav, so they can make alterations to the destination etc without removing the directions from the main screen. The same is true for the music menus. If that weren't enough, rear passengers will also get a small display which allows the control of the local zone climate settings.
Elsewhere the scope for personalisation will be substantial. There are several different options as far as leather is concerned - or, if you prefer your leather with less cow in it, a 'vegan' trim material will be offered which swaps animal hide for more sustainable materials, including one made from recycled fishing nets.
Of course if fussing about with swatches isn't really your thing, Porsche has also been at pains this week to reiterate the lengths it has gone to with the rest of the car. The manufacturer released a video on Monday showing a pre-production test car undergoing hot weather testing at Nardo, which included 24 hours of continuous running on the high-speed track (or as near to continuous as you can get with a car that needs periodic recharging). The Taycan's maker reports that it kept this up without complaint at average speeds of between 195 and 215km/h.
We humans will tend to take the path of least resistance over emotional satisfaction which is why kids today don't use physical media, vinyl/cassette/CD or otherwise, and simply stream music from their phones/computers. They don't miss the 'warmth' or 'emotion' of vinyl and even if given the chance to directly compare, the vast majority simply would not care. Why? Because physical mediums are inconvenient. My 21yo niece has never owned a CD and never will. My 11yo nephew would likely have trouble even knowing what a vinyl record player is/does!
Same thing happened with watches; the biggest watchmaker on earth was Seiko as they were successful in developing and mass-manufacturing quartz technology that outperformed every mechanical watch (and almost killed the Swiss industry in the process) only to be replaced in 2015 by the Apple Watch making Apple officially now the largest watch manufacturer on earth in the space of four years...
Yes, I know, mechanical watches are now aspirational objects but they are a luxury, functional piece of jewellery for the few, not a 'bread and butter' type thing for the day to day anymore and no high-end mechanical watch can compete with a 'smart' watches functionality or price point.
Cars are going exactly the same way and in a couple of generations people your age will simply look at ICE'd cars as a curio from a bygone age (just like how we look at steam trains now); yes, there will always be a small fringe of enthusiasts will still indulge in them, as they do with vinyl and watches, but the masses simply will not care. Cleaner, quieter (a MUCH bigger deal than people realise), more reliable with less moving parts, faster and, eventually, more range. Basically convenience and therefore the path of least resistance.
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