Porsche Taycan Australian deliveries pushed back to February 2021

Eager Australian Porsche Taycan customers will have to wait a few extra months before taking delivery of their full-electric sports car.

Originally slated for collection from dealers in December, complications brought on by the coronavirus pandemic means Taycan buyers now have to wait until February 2021 for delivery of their vehicles, which cost from $190,400 – $338,500 before on-road costs.

While the delay is unfortunate, Porsche Australia’s Chris Jordan said customers for the brand’s first all-electric road car have understood why they need to wait a few months longer.

“We’ve already communicated to our order holders when deliveries will commence, and we haven’t really had any negative feedback because they understand why,” he said. “Particularly those who are existing Porsche customers, they will have experienced the high level of attention they get at a Porsche Centre, and understand why training is so important.”

Jordan explained that due to some Australian state borders being closed – Victoria in particular – not all Porsche Centres have been able to complete the required training on this all-new model.

“A Porsche Centre can’t deliver a car to a customer until they’ve passed all the training when it comes to Taycan,” Jordan said. “We’d normally be training dealers in November and December, but we don’t know if it’s going to be possible to get this done this year, so training events are going to spill into next year as well. We set a very high standard for Porsche Centres and that’s why they deliver the service they do.”

While batteries are not new to Porsche technicians – the brand already sells Cayenne and Panamera plug-in hybrids in Australia – the Taycan’s is obviously much bigger. But it’s the fact the all-electric sports car is a completely new model line means Porsche Centre staff have a bit of extra swotting up to do.

“The Taycan’s not an evolution of a previous model, plus there’s a lot of new technology in the car,” Jordan said. “There’s a lot for sales people to learn, and you can imagine how highly engaged a Taycan Expression of Interest holder would be and the research they’ve done.”

Waiting for Porsche Australia’s technicians and salespeople to complete this training means the Taycan’s media launch – when we get to drive and review the cars locally – has also been pushed back to February.

Interest surrounding the new Taycan remains very high, however. “We’ve held static events around the country except Victoria, so people who put in an expression of interest now have the chance to see the vehicle in real life,” Jordan said.

Porsche Australia has brought three prototype Taycans into the country – a 4S, Turbo and Turbo S – meaning the complete range can be seen by interested parties. Not being able to drive one means some haven’t committed until they do so.

“It’s one thing us telling, it’s another thing to show,” said Jordan. “People have had a chance to see the car so now a lot have moved to a formal order, while others, totally understandably, are extremely keen but just want to have a test drive first. We’ve been saying all along this is a true Porsche sportscar, but it’s even better to show them by test driving it.”

Porsche Australia wants to place demonstrator Taycans at dealers once their training is complete, plus are trying to organise events where those interested can come to the car. Again, coronavirus has complicated things as Australian race tracks – once they re-open or re-opened – are solidly booked as events postponed due to the pandemic are rescheduled.

Jordan said Porsche Australia doesn’t reveal order numbers for its cars, but said it was “quite pleased with how many people had made a formal order now, given that most, unless they’ve driven one overseas, haven’t had the chance to test drive a Taycan.”

And supply? Jordan said he didn’t expect there to be a big problem because with deliveries now moved to February, by that time “we should have a reasonable supply for those first order holders.”

Exactly how popular the Taycan proves to be in Australia will be fascinating to see, as we reported a few weeks ago the all-electric model is now Porsche’s best-seller in Europe.