Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X

Porsche Taycan hits the virtual reality world

The electric sedan may not be available worldwide yet, but Porsche dealers will show customers the car in VR if they wish.

sean-szymkowski-headshot
sean-szymkowski-headshot
Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
2 min read
Porsche Taycan VR experience

Welcome to the virtual world, Taycan.

Porsche

The US served as one of the Porsche Taycan's launch markets, but as some global buyers wait for the marque's first electric car to reach them, will gladly show the car off in virtual reality .

The company said on Monday it had launched a virtual reality experience at numerous Porsche Centers around the world. Shoppers place a pair of VR goggles on to get up close and personal with the electric sedan in the digital realm.

Porsche said the experience is nearly representative of standing and examining the physical car, and those who take part in the digital experience can even explore the underside of the EV. The VR program shows the inside as well as the outside and even allows users to play with the roster of paint colors available for the car. For those who want to see the air move around, the VR experience will do that too, with simulated airflow the user can control.

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S is a heck of a value

See all photos

The Taycan Turbo and Turbo S variants promise some pretty tantalizing performance to challenge the Tesla Model S Performance, though the EPA found its range estimates don't hold a candle (or, this is the digital age, so... a smartphone flashlight?) to the Model S Performance's. The highest-performing model, the Turbo S variant, received a 192-mile EPA-estimated range estimate and the regular Turbo model will go 201 miles per charge, the EPA estimated. Porsche at the time said it tends to be "conservative" with its performance figures and also touted a private test that revealed a range estimate of 275 miles for the Taycan Turbo in its normal driving mode.

Nevertheless, Porsche racked up a healthy list of preorders before the car launched -- over 30,000. The Taycan is just the tip of the iceberg for electric cars at the company, and if it's not available physically, you can see it in VR at 100 Porsche Centers. And soon, Porsche will let you design the car in VR, too.

top5-taycan-tech-fun-facts-00-00-27-16-still034-clean
Watch this: 5 things you didn't know about the Porsche Taycan's tech