Porsche has the range simulator for the Taycan, there you can see wheel options affecting range. The impact of going from 19 to 21 is a bit over 5%
It’s an unequivocal yes from me!
I think you are missing my point, Porsche was renown in the ICE world for its Engine tunning, car handling and build quality. In EV world, electric motors are pretty much all the same, handling is still great (for an EV) but with the heavy battery and more than 2.3 tons, it's as best as it can be but not close to ICE cars and finally build quality is still there but is all of that justifies twice the price of a Tesla Model y performance ? I took the MG example to illustrate the fact that now MG is able to equip their car with an electric motor as powerful as Porsche's one, it was clearly not the case in the ICE world. Anyway, congratulations for your order, the Macan EV is a good looking machine but at that price (+ all the must have options) in Europe, it is does not look like a good value to me, the US prices are probably fairer.
Wow... I'm thinking the opposite: that the Macan 4 has *too many* standard features! I'd like to see a bunch removed and made optional, and then bring the base MSRP down by 10k euros/dollars. I'd prefer that Porsche offer the Macan 4 like they do the base Macan ICEV: no air suspension, no glass in the roof, 19-inch wheels (I'd prefer 18-inch for better range/stability/safety), no interior ambient lighting, no wireless phone charger, no LKA, no PDLS, no auto-dimming mirrors, no moving rear spoiler/diffuser. I'd not select any one of these items, and would prefer that Porsche make interested customers pay extra for them (like they do in the base Macan/Cayenne ICEV), and keep the starting price of the Macan 4 much lower than it is now -- and likely extend the range by 50-100 miles via weight reduction. Note that these are optons on the US configurator; in Europe, you may be able to get the Macan 4 without roof glass and with steel suspension. But I hate having to pay extra MSRP for so much stuff that I don't want/need, and I don't understand why Porsche is making the electric base Macan so different from the ICE base Macan in this way.
Could it be to simplify builds for launch, and make these options for future model years?
I presume they can only make a certain amount of cars in year 1 and they want the extra profit from the required Options. They will sell every car they can make. Yes I don’t need all the Options but I’m still put an order in.
I totally agree with you that could be a good strategy AS LONG AS the MSRP reflects the lack of equipment - my issue with Porsche on the Macan EV is, the US MSRP + the very long list of standard equipment is way cheaper than the EU MSRP with the lack of these equipment as standard - I really feel the European customers subsidise the US market :-( - At 119K€ MSRP for the Turbo (Please convert in $ and you will understand my point), I would expect having the same than the US: the Rooflight, privacy glass, storage package, 360 reverse camera, home ink, Comfort access as standard and the availability of the $1300 (1203€) Premium package including (Ventilated seats, Rear heated seats, 4 zone Climate Control) for the EU customers.
You are not wrong about the EV realities. I think however Porsche is marketing to ICE car buyers, not EV buyers. Macan EV is a replacement for the ICE version (which is being discontinued in EU). Most of Porsche lineup is ICE too, so they position their EVs within the ICE lineup. IMHO currently the target Porsche Macan (ICE or EV) customer is someone who wants the Porsche badge, not the most driving performance bang for their money.
I don't know about all/most Macan ICEV buyers (though I'm one of those, too), but I'll wager that most Macan Electric buyers will be getting them for the all-around value (performance/driving dynamics; range; charging speed; fit-and-finish; comfort; driving aids in the screens; well-thought-out interior; build of the car's guts) and not for the "badge". I did not buy my 2019 Macan for the badge; in fact, I usually buy my Porsches with subdued colors and debadging so as to fly "under the radar" for worries about vandalsim/theft. I'm not interested in having others know that I'm driving a Porsche, but as a three-time Porsche buyer, I just have troubles finding other automakers that make cars with the high level of value that Porsche gives you -- especially if you can (as I do) keep options to a bare minimum (and thus the MSRP down). I do multiple cross-country (USA) road trips every year and put typically 20k miles/year on my Porsches; I buy them because they are simply the best all-around road-tripping vehicles on the planet. Because BEVs are more problematical than ICEVs for road trips, and because the Macan Electric starts at a very high MSRP, people aren't going to be buying it for the badge, generally; most people buying a Macan Electric will have done a lot of research beforehand into BEVs generally. It will be interesting to see how many Macan Electric buyers are previous Porsche owners.
I have long wondered why everybody else in the world pays higher prices for Porsches than Americans do. Part of it may be that you have VAT added in to the price, and we Americans have to pay sales tax on top of the MSRP (in my state, we pay 6.25% sales tax on top of MSRP, for example).
Exactly, the sales tax is lower and never included in the price you see as it differs in every state, so in regards to Europe it seems Cars are 20% cheaper in the US … which is not 100% correct, they are cheaper though ;-)
Just to clarify, when I said "buying for the badge" I meant "buying for the brand", I did not mean "buying to show off to others" - that would only be a subset of badge seekers. Others buying for the badge are brand loyalists, or people who like particular brand's products, whether because they are used to it, because of brand's reputation, because they are used the brand's features or controls layouts, or their positive personal past experience with the brand.
