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Porsche May Kill Off a Game-Changing Car, All for the Better

The Taycan’s future is certainly limited, but its concept isn’t going anywhere.

the porsche taycan turbo gt silhouette seen in shadowPorsche
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By Chris Chin

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The Porsche Taycan’s days appear to be limited. But if you were worried about saying goodbye to Zuffenhausen’s groundbreaking all-electric luxury sports sedan for good, have no fear.

Porsche’s all-electric flagship sedan isn’t going anywhere. Instead, it’s reportedly being absorbed and integrated into the Panamera lineup.

Keeping it simple, cutting losses

the rear angle of a green 2025 porsche taycan cross turismo and the front angle of a blue 2025 porsche taycan sedan
The Porsche Taycan’s future could be in jeopardy.
Porsche

According to some new reports from AutoCar, which got a chance to catch up with Porsche’s new CEO, Michael Leiters, the company is looking to do some scaling back. After investing heavily in electric vehicles and expanding its lineup, the company didn’t get the ROI it was hoping for.

Thus, to cut its financial losses and to continue to adapt to the market, Zuffenhausen’s finest is looking at doing some lineup trimming. Word has it that it will start with the Taycan.

porsche taycan cross turismo 2021
With the Taycan potentially going away, questions are also surrounding the Cross Turismo’s future.
Porsche

It all started last year when former CEO Oliver Blume saw the writing on the wall for the company’s limited EV success. Given that they’re not as popular as everyone thought they’d be, it was time to pump the brakes.

Because the market spoke and many automakers, including Porsche and parent company Volkswagen AG, dumped a ton of resources into EV development, cutting back has become the new focus. As a result, Blume announced that Porsche is not committing its entire future to electrification.

Purple sports sedan with a rear spoiler driving fast on a sunlit road.
The Porsche Taycan really put other high-performance EV sedans, like the Tesla Model S, on notice.
Porsche

Now, it’s time to take action. The first step: take the next-gen Taycan and integrate it into the Panamera range.

So, while the Taycan nameplate and the standalone model might be going bye-bye, the concept of a big, all-electric, high-performance sedan isn’t going anywhere. Rather, it’s going to be sold as a variant of the Panamera.

Two Porsche Panamera sedans, one black and one metallic orange, parked in a white studio.
The Taycan might be going away, but its concept as an electric sedan could be integrating with the Panamera lineup.
Porsche

Which, to be honest, should’ve been the move to begin with.

Porsche and sports car fans know the brand’s model range is small for a somewhat mainstream automaker. Especially when compared to the likes of its rivals, such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Pumping the brakes, reassessing

Two Porsche Taycan electric sports sedans, one purple with a rear spoiler and one light green, parked on a wet asphalt surface under a clear blue sky.
The Porsche Taycan is often likened to essentially being an all-electric Panamera, so why not actually make it one?
Porsche

Whenever Zuffenhausen adds a completely new model, like the Taycan, it triggers a wave of reaction and, sometimes, uproar. The same happened with the original Panamera, the Macan and the Cayenne.

That’s because hardcore P-Car enthusiasts believe that Porsche should stick to making sports cars, if not only the 911. But while that may be an antiquated point-of-view, everyone knows Porsche can’t survive by just making 911s.

Porsche saved itself from bankruptcy in the 1980s and 1990s after realizing that it needs to go beyond making the 911. It’s the main reason as to why the Boxster and Cayman came to life.

Metallic brown Porsche sedan driving on a curved mountain road under a partly cloudy sky.
The Panamera uses the old MSB platform.
Porsche

Now, Porsche is experiencing a bit of a history repeat. However, the circumstances are slightly different with electric vehicles.

Simplifying the lineup by eliminating the Taycan standalone nameplate and absorbing it into the Panamera just makes things simpler and more easily marketable.

This also changes the future of the Panamera. Originally, Porsche was going to continue selling the gas-powered Panamera and Taycan as two completely different cars, on two completely different platforms.

Black Porsche sedan driving on a coastal road with rocky cliffs and calm water at sunset.
Porsche launched a new third-gen Panamera in late 2023.
Porsche

That’s currently the case. But with the Panamera utilizing the older MSB platform (shared with the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur) and the Taycan using the newer all-electric J1 chassis (the same as the Audi E-tron GT), that complicates things a bit.

Both the Panamera and Taycan are similar in size. But both utilize different platforms, engineered specifically for different powertrains.

Running two different programs is obviously very expensive. So Porsche is currently deciding whether to unify both platforms and programs altogether to work more efficiently.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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