Blasphemy! Porsche did something that isn't logical and makes no sense? How could they?
That was a direct quote from the totally real Stuck Up Porsche Purist Forum, about the recently new Taycan Turbo/Turbo S and its absurd name. And while my poorly executed joke seems silly, it happens to be the cause of headaches for more people than you think.
These are the same guys and gals that talk to each other, day after day, about what color the stitching on their 911's center console is and if they purchased the Guards Red G-Series car over the Cassis Red because they fetch higher prices. Simply, they focus too much on things that don't affect the car at all.
And the truth is that car badges have never been a set-in-stone industry. We've gone from "disc brakes" badges, to "tuned port injection" badges, and now you can't leave the house without seeing a "hybrid" plaque on every car. It is constantly evolving, which is exactly why Porsche didn't change a thing.
Segment Knowledge
Porsche has had its ups and downs in the fiscal-responsibility universe. One decade they were on the verge of bankruptcy and had to be saved by VW, and the next featured a record sales year. But since then they have been doing exceedingly well not only in sales, but the marketing decisions they make.
When coming out with a new car, it usually involves all-new sheet metal, new technology, and an entirely new advertisement campaign. This all costs huge sums of money believe it or not. It also takes a fair amount of research to successfully market that new car, and for the electric car market, Porsche knew that if they kept gas car badges on their EV it would get headlines, save manufacturing dollars, and separate the Taycan from the rest of the competitive field.
Using the "Turbo" and "Turbo S" monikers, first of all, gathered substantial press just by themselves. A 45-year-old badge has never gotten so much attention on a new sedan. Secondly, it takes the philosophical rule that badges have to follow the car's physical being and rewrites it completely. The majority of new electric vehicles have futuristic, gimmicky names like "E-Tron", "Mach-E", "NEXO", "Bolt", "Leaf", "E-Golf", and any other stupid electricity-related word that sounds like the name of a vacuum robot.
If You Know You Know
In the late '70s and '80s especially, any car that had a "Turbo" badge on it was obviously the best of the best. Saab 900 Turbo, Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, Porsche 911 Turbo S, and countless others used the new popping moniker to pull the heartstrings of potential buyers all across our world. And even now, a turbo car can be much more expensive than the naturally aspirated version of itself, which is why car enthusiasts and most people in general know, that "Turbo" means expensive.
Porsche, specifically, has stayed true to its trim level hierarchy for many years now. The 911, Cayman, Boxster, Cayenne, Macan, and now the Taycan all have similar trim level monikers, and for all but the Cayman/Boxster, "Turbo" and "Turbo S" can be found on the rear end of all those cars. The use of these terms serves as common knowledge for car enthusiasts who know what it means. When they see a Taycan Turbo S silently, yet violently, accelerating across the onramp, they'll know that person spent the money for the absolute best.
Get It?
If it means anything to you, Porsche has a sense of humor. They've always had a clever marketing team and they aren't necessarily known for playing nice. Some of their ads from the '80s were petty in all the right ways and they haven't lost their witty touch in 2020 even. The turbo moniker controversy is a perfect example of this. The car obviously doesn't have an engine and certainly doesn't have one that can use a turbo, but the names on the back of the Taycan are not literal.
The "4S" badge makes sense as it is an AWD car, but "Turbo" and "Turbo S" are there for context purposes. Words are designed to have deeper meanings, and with the Taycan's new use of the figurative moniker, "Turbo" will remain as "the best of the bunch" trim. But no matter what, a Porsche Turbo will always mean - faster than hell.