Really?

[Stormy_Monday]

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2026 ... gears.html

shades of Hyundai....

[blueline]

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2026 ... gears.html

shades of Hyundai....

"...virtual gear changes, and a more emotive Electric Sport Sound..."


I have a better idea, make an ICE version of the Taycan if emulating one is the goal. Otherwise, leave it as intended - an EV.

[Tom]

This reminds me of turn signals. For decades, people came to expect the sound of a flasher mechanism clicking on and off whenever the turn signals or hazard lights were operating. It was originally just a byproduct of old-school thermal or electromechanical hardware, but because that was the normal way to make them work, the world came to regard the clicking as both normal and useful. It let you know the signals were working --and reminded you to turn them off.

When cars first began moving to solid-state controls, many manufacturers added an electronic soundtrack that imitated the old clicking mechanism. I always found that amusing. Like fiber-optic internet coming with the sound of an old-school dial-up modem or fax machine.

Eventually, automakers realized they could substitute more pleasant -- or even on-brand -- sounds instead of continuing to imitate a mechanical flasher. I suspect these fake-shifting Taycans will someday be amusing relics in much the same way.

On the other hand, Mrs. Carpokes has a Subaru Outback with a continuously variable transmission. The early versions of those transmissions felt strange to me. Subaru now programs them to behave more like conventional geared transmissions and it's much less weird to me. But then again, I also like the sound of real relays.

Maybe Porsche should add a button like this:

[Tom]

I just read the whole press release and was amused to see they will include a 'virtual rev counter' -- i.e., a fake tachometer. I'd actually think a real tach showing the electric motor speed would be more interesting... And there's this:

fskr-grstd.jpg (29.7 KiB) Viewed 120 times

[blueline]

I just read the whole press release and was amused to see they will include a 'virtual rev counter' -- i.e., a fake tachometer. I'd actually think a real tach showing the electric motor speed would be more interesting... And there's this:

Maybe adding a fake clutch pedal and fake console stick shift would stimulate sales.



I asked Perplexity to create a child's toy car with a fake clutch and fake gear shift.

21b16fca-499b-4a9f-9671-e9eda40c9cf7.jpg (319.06 KiB) Viewed 118 times

Either AI needs a lot of work or else it has strange notions of human anatomy.

[Stormy_Monday]

At least the Taycan sort of looks like a Porsche. The Ferrari Luce, on the other hand.....

[blueline]

At least the Taycan sort of looks like a Porsche. The Ferrari Luce, on the other hand.....

Wonder how many have been sold.

Ferrari should be embarrassed.

The day after the reveal and presentation, Ferrari shares fell by 8.4%, not least due to the strong concerns of former CEO Luca di Montezemolo. They've recovered a bit since then but the 52-week range is still quite depressed, not all of which is due to the Luce of course.

[blueline]

Then there's this straight from Porsche's playbook regarding the Taycan. Want a GT3 RS? Gotta buy or lease a Taycan and also pay $100k over MSRP for the GT3 RS.

"Ferrari Buyers May Be Ordering The Luce To Get Better Cars Later. Ferrari is making the Luce a ‘stepping stone’ for collectors to get access to its more exclusive models and move up the waiting list. Jun 18, 2026 6:00 PM EDT"

https://www.autoblog.com/news/ferrari-b ... cars-later

[Stormy_Monday]

good thing I'm not in the market for one of the "better" cars

But, I'm probably not their target demographic anyhow...

[mobleyGTS]

I have an even better idea......sack all EV's! Hybrid tolerable, but discontinue EV's before you turn the Porsche badge into dust!