*Image source: Announced at the 70th Anniversary of the Sports Car – The new sports EV is named “Taycan”

The Name “Taycan” is Decided!

A while ago, it was reported that Porsche’s first electric vehicle, previously known as “Mission E,” has officially been named “Taycan”. For a time, there was some debate over whether it should be pronounced “Teikan” or “Taikan,” but it seems “Taycan” is the final choice.

Porsche’s first EV is the Taycan! The official name for Mission E is decided

Production is set to start next year, boasting over 600 horsepower and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds. The driving range is said to reach 500 km. (Though I guess some home charging setup work will be necessary.)

Meaning: “A spirited young horse”

“Taycan” is based on the image of the prancing horse at the center of Porsche’s emblem, meaning “a spirited young horse.” Porsche’s marketing team reportedly spent two years researching compatibility with the existing lineup, linguistic meanings in various countries, and trademark checks.

Amazing… it takes two years to decide the name of a single car ( ﾟдﾟ )

Speaking of linguistic checks worldwide, it reminded me that the Japanese region name “Kinki” sounds almost identical to the English word “Kinky,” which means “(sexually) perverted.”

So, I once saw news that Kinki University is considering changing its English name because it could be interpreted as “Abnormal Sexual Desire University.”

If Porsche’s car names ended up with such unintended meanings, that would be a big problem… I’m sure the marketing team put their full effort into thoroughly investigating every detail.

Organizing Porsche’s Car Names

Still, Porsche’s car names seem a bit inconsistent, so I made a table of Porsche car names. (I do love making tables, haha)

[Race-related Names]
・Carrera → The Carrera Panamericana Mexico, a road race held from 1950 to 1954 in Mexico
・Panamera → Also from the Carrera Panamericana Mexico
[Animal-related Names]
・Cayman → The Cayman, a reptile related to alligators
・Macan → “Tiger” in Indonesian
・Taycan → A spirited young horse
[Names based on car’s makeup]
・Boxster → Roadster equipped with a boxer engine
[Others]
・Cayenne → Derived from the spicy red pepper (Cayenne pepper)

Overall, it kind of makes sense, but why is Cayenne named after a chili pepper…? ( ﾟдﾟ )