Porsche opens its new factory for the electric Taycan sports car
13 Sep 2019|16,968 views
Porsche has been gunning full throttle with the production of the all new Taycan - its first ever all-electric four-door model.
Just last week, the carmaker presented the car to the public with a world premiere held simultaneously on three continents - Berlin, Fuzhou and Canada.
Less than a week later, Porsche officially inaugurated the new factory, in its headquarters at Zuffenhausen, for its new model - in time for this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Zuffen... what?
Zuffenhausen is one of the urban districts of the city of Stuttgart and is where Porsche's main production plant is located. But more than just a car production factory, Porsche selected this place to set up the Taycan's production lines, and for very good reasons.
What sort of reasons then?
With a long history behind the location, Zuffenhausen is the place where the iconic 911 flagship and the 718 models, amongst several other models, are built.
This makes the decision for the Taycan to be created from this factory a sensible one. Clearly, mechanics and engineers in Zuffenhausen headquarters who are overseeing brilliant cars like the 911 and 718 are able to bring the same amount of enthusiasm and knowledge about car engines and engineering to the table for the Taycan. This ensures that the new model is one that preserves traditional Porsche genes despite being an all-electric one.
But apparently, being electric and efficient aren't enough for the carmaker. Porsche intends to make the Zuffenhausen factory as environmentally-friendly as possible, claiming that the factory will be as green as the cars that it builds - another fitting reason to have the Taycan made here.
According to Albrect Reimold, Production and Logistics Board Member at Porsche AG, Porsche is firm on ensuring that the production for the Taycan is as ecologically and socially responsible as the electric car itself.
During a press conference at Zuffenhausen, Reimold also mentioned that over time, on top of being a CO2-neutral factory, the company wants the production of the Taycan to leave no ecological footprint in terms of the product lifecycle and its supply chain - a goal the brand terms as 'Zero Impact Factory'.
This is made possible by setting new standards in terms of sustainability at the Zuffenhausen site. The consistent use of natural electricity and biogas for heat generation and even the increment of electrified logistics vehicles are some of the examples Porsche is doing to stay committed to its goal.
And then some...
More importantly, apart from having an ecologically and socially responsible factory built within a factory in Zuffenhausen, the new project translates to some 1,500 new jobs being created, proving that electric mobility is an opportunity, and not a threat - even for a pedigreed sports carmaker such as Porsche.
People, apparently, is Porsche's focus and the brand continues to rely on its staff while ensuring a certain degree of automation can be implemented to relieve and help them in their work at the factory.
As a matter of fact, Porsche has invested €700 million (approx. S$1.06 billion) in the new factory to ensure it stays that way. An innovative production process of the Taycan has been executed at the Zuffenhausen ground, with the assembly of the new model done through driverless transport systems that move independently from station to station, easing the stress levels that are often associated with car factory workers.
Not only does this allow Porsche to get rid of the traditional conveyor belt, which can save up to 30% on investment costs, it also allows easy modifications of production at any point of time and minimises human errors.
And that's key when it comes to putting a car together, more so when the demand of the Taycan is overwhelming. So far, Porsche has received 31,000 orders globally, with U.S, Europe and China taking the top three spots.
So what does this mean?
Thus, there's no doubting that the main factory has the proficiencies to create the first pure electric Porsche.
In fact, I reckon Porsche has been making the best with what it has had achieved throughout its history - history that I shall not bore you with. And it's no different with the production of the new model, Taycan.
Yes, the construction of the factory was already challenging, and so was convincing Porsche purists that an electric car like the Taycan had to be produced. But in doing so, the sports carmaker stands a chance in succeeding in a market where an electric sports car is uncommon.
With the choice of having the production of the first electric Porsche model made in Zuffenhausen, one thing is certainly clear: Zuffenhausen is Porsche, and Porsche is Zuffenhausen.
Singapore can expect to receive the Turbo and the Turbo S in August 2020, with prices expected to be positioned between the Panamera and the Cayenne. As of 6 September 2019, the Panamera Turbo is going for $721,688 while the Cayenne Turbo will set you back $607,188. All prices exclude COE.
Porsche has been gunning full throttle with the production of the all new Taycan - its first ever all-electric four-door model.
Just last week, the carmaker presented the car to the public with a world premiere held simultaneously on three continents - Berlin, Fuzhou and Canada.
Less than a week later, Porsche officially inaugurated the new factory, in its headquarters at Zuffenhausen, for its new model - in time for this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Zuffen... what?
Zuffenhausen is one of the urban districts of the city of Stuttgart and is where Porsche's main production plant is located. But more than just a car production factory, Porsche selected this place to set up the Taycan's production lines, and for very good reasons.
What sort of reasons then?
With a long history behind the location, Zuffenhausen is the place where the iconic 911 flagship and the 718 models, amongst several other models, are built.
This makes the decision for the Taycan to be created from this factory a sensible one. Clearly, mechanics and engineers in Zuffenhausen headquarters who are overseeing brilliant cars like the 911 and 718 are able to bring the same amount of enthusiasm and knowledge about car engines and engineering to the table for the Taycan. This ensures that the new model is one that preserves traditional Porsche genes despite being an all-electric one.
But apparently, being electric and efficient aren't enough for the carmaker. Porsche intends to make the Zuffenhausen factory as environmentally-friendly as possible, claiming that the factory will be as green as the cars that it builds - another fitting reason to have the Taycan made here.
According to Albrect Reimold, Production and Logistics Board Member at Porsche AG, Porsche is firm on ensuring that the production for the Taycan is as ecologically and socially responsible as the electric car itself.
During a press conference at Zuffenhausen, Reimold also mentioned that over time, on top of being a CO2-neutral factory, the company wants the production of the Taycan to leave no ecological footprint in terms of the product lifecycle and its supply chain - a goal the brand terms as 'Zero Impact Factory'.
This is made possible by setting new standards in terms of sustainability at the Zuffenhausen site. The consistent use of natural electricity and biogas for heat generation and even the increment of electrified logistics vehicles are some of the examples Porsche is doing to stay committed to its goal.
And then some...
More importantly, apart from having an ecologically and socially responsible factory built within a factory in Zuffenhausen, the new project translates to some 1,500 new jobs being created, proving that electric mobility is an opportunity, and not a threat - even for a pedigreed sports carmaker such as Porsche.
People, apparently, is Porsche's focus and the brand continues to rely on its staff while ensuring a certain degree of automation can be implemented to relieve and help them in their work at the factory.
As a matter of fact, Porsche has invested €700 million (approx. S$1.06 billion) in the new factory to ensure it stays that way. An innovative production process of the Taycan has been executed at the Zuffenhausen ground, with the assembly of the new model done through driverless transport systems that move independently from station to station, easing the stress levels that are often associated with car factory workers.
Not only does this allow Porsche to get rid of the traditional conveyor belt, which can save up to 30% on investment costs, it also allows easy modifications of production at any point of time and minimises human errors.
And that's key when it comes to putting a car together, more so when the demand of the Taycan is overwhelming. So far, Porsche has received 31,000 orders globally, with U.S, Europe and China taking the top three spots.
So what does this mean?
Thus, there's no doubting that the main factory has the proficiencies to create the first pure electric Porsche.
In fact, I reckon Porsche has been making the best with what it has had achieved throughout its history - history that I shall not bore you with. And it's no different with the production of the new model, Taycan.
Yes, the construction of the factory was already challenging, and so was convincing Porsche purists that an electric car like the Taycan had to be produced. But in doing so, the sports carmaker stands a chance in succeeding in a market where an electric sports car is uncommon.
With the choice of having the production of the first electric Porsche model made in Zuffenhausen, one thing is certainly clear: Zuffenhausen is Porsche, and Porsche is Zuffenhausen.
Singapore can expect to receive the Turbo and the Turbo S in August 2020, with prices expected to be positioned between the Panamera and the Cayenne. As of 6 September 2019, the Panamera Turbo is going for $721,688 while the Cayenne Turbo will set you back $607,188. All prices exclude COE.
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