Porsche Gives the Mission E a Strange Name

If you thought the Porsche Mission E was going to keep that name, you were dead wrong. It was always a placeholder, and Porsche finally revealed what’s going on the production car’s badge: Taycan.

No, that’s not a typo: Taycan.

The name, roughly translated, means a “lively young horse,” according to Porsche. It’s a reference to the horse on the brand’s crest. I guess this somehow ties in with the concept that people always want a faster horse?

So everyone can say it correctly, Taycan is pronounced tie-con. The word is Eurasian in origin, hence the strange spelling.

As you probably can imagine, news of the name reveal has been met with reserved skepticism and outright ridicule. Volkswagen has used quite a few odd names on its vehicles in the past, finally learning the lesson with the Atlas. Porsche historically has stuck with numeric or non-odd names, like the Cayman or Macan. Exactly what was going on in the meeting when this was decided will probably be a point of much speculation. I’d love to believe plenty of schnapps was involved, because nothing else makes sense.

We know some things about the Taycan. The car rides on an all-new platform called J1, and the battery pack will be slotted between the axles. Size-wise, it’ll slot between the 911 and Panamera. If features clamshell doors on both sides. Several models will be available, possibly following the naming scheme for the 911 lineup.