All-electric Porsche Taycan debuts as the world's most powerful sedan
Porsche looking to take on Tesla with its all-electric Taycan making its debut as the world's most powerful sedan.
Elon Musk had something to say about Tesla’s latest competitor, the electric Porsche Taycan that was unveiled on Wednesday.
Musk's Turbo comment may not have been his only jab at Porsche. On Wednesday he tweeted about automakers that cheat on emissions tests. (AP)
Musk Tweeted on Thursday afternoon "Um @Porsche, this word Turbo does not mean what you think it does"
He was referring to Porsche’s decision to call the top trim levels the Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S, even though turbocharging is a technology feature used with internal combustion engines, not electric motors.
ALL-ELECTRIC PORSCHE TAYCAN DEBUTS AS WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL SEDAN
Porsche North America President Klaus Zellmer told Fox News Autos that Porsche decided to stick with the "Turbo" nomenclature because its customers identify it with the highest performance versions of all of its vehicles. He added that "Turbo" is used by all sorts of products that don’t feature actual turbochargers, including razors.
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Nevertheless, the topic was a hot one across the automotive media and enthusiast communities following the reveal of the sport sedan, which drew largely positive reactions otherwise. The Taycans offer similar speed, but a shorter range than the closest Model S, but Porsche is promising superior overall performance.
Tesla, for its part, has often been criticized for its use of the word “Autopilot” as the name for a semi-autonomous driver aid. On Wednesday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reiterated its position that the word could “mislead” consumers while retweeting an NTSB report on an accident that occurred with the feature engaged.
Musk's Turbo comment may not have been his only jab at Porsche. On Wednesday he tweeted about automakers that cheat on emissions tests.
Porsche is part of the Volkswagen Group, which was hit with a combined $33 billion in fines for violating regulations.