2020 Porsche Taycan

[HICHEM]

This story was updated 11/27/18. It will be continually updated as we learn more.

Porsche stunned the world two years ago with the debut of its all-electric Mission E sedan concept, later promising it'd go into production as the Taycan in 2020. The spy photos seen throughout this post provide an early look at a Taycan prototype testing in public near Porsche's development center in Weissach, Germany. 

Here's everything we know about this incredibly exciting car.

It's Called the Taycan
At first, we thought Porsche would just call this car the "Mission E," but the company has announced that won't be the case. It'll be called the Taycan, pronounced tie-con. It's a Eurasian word that translates, roughly, to "lively young horse."

"Our new electric sports car is strong and dependable; it’s a vehicle that can consistently cover long distances and that epitomizes freedom," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said in a statement announcing the name. 

It'll Be Priced Between the Cayenne and Panamera
Speaking to Automotive News, the model-line director for the Taycan, Rober Meier, said "we're expecting a price somewhere between a Cayenne and a Panamera," when asked how much the EV will cost. In the US, the Cayenne starts at just under $66,000, while the Panamera starts at $85,000. So perhaps the Taycan will start in the $75,000 range.

Of course, there'll be model variants offering more performance, so consider $75,000 a base price.

You Can Put Down a Deposit Now
On Porsche's website, there's a form for those who want to register their interest in buying a Taycan. Once that form is filled out, a Porsche dealer will contact those interested, who can then put a deposit down on the upcoming electric sedan. A Manhattan Porsche dealer told us the deposit is $2500.

The Production Car Will Look Like the Concep

The Mission E concept combined futuristic looks with classic Porsche proportions to stunning effect, and thankfully the production car will too. Oliver Blume told Car magazine that the production car is "very close to what you saw two years ago at Frankfurt. It will be exciting but a bit different from the concept." The folks over at TaycanForum.com previewed the design in the rendering you see above.

Don't expect the suicide doors of the concept to make production, though.

It's Not An Electric Panamera

Yes, Porsche already sells a sedan, the Panamera, but it's not just modifying that car to create the Taycan. Instead, the Taycan will ride on its own bespoke platform, internally called J1, with its lithium-ion battery making up the floorpan between the its two axles, just as on a Tesla.