Author: Chang Yan
Today is my first day being completely locked in the residential area.
If you followed my friends circle or Weibo yesterday, you already knew that this is really a story that made me eat melon.
Yesterday, I suddenly wanted to eat watermelon. By the time it was delivered, Hema couldn’t enter the residential area anymore. When I went downstairs to pick up the watermelon, I expressed incomprehension to a group of indignant grandparents passing by, until I was told that the residential area would soon be restricted to entry only.
I suddenly had a feeling of wanting to do nothing, like a deflated balloon.
Maybe many engineers in the automotive industry also have the same state of mind, and don’t know what to do. So why not create a special edition of the current car’s appearance?!
No, no, no. Engineers in the automotive industry won’t be as lazy as me. They must be very excited to find out that there are still many more ways to modify the current best-selling car model.
Regardless of which version of the story you believe, the first special edition electric car of the Porsche Taycan appeared in front of us: the Porsche Taycan GTS Hockenheim Track Edition.
Hockenheim track may be the most famous German track besides Nurburgring. In addition to being associated with many classic models because it was a test track for Mercedes-Benz, it is more important that it once alternated with the Nurburgring track to host the F1 race in Germany.
As a track built in 1932, at the beginning, Hockenheim did not consider the viewing needs of subsequent car races. There were many routes passing through the forest. After several reconstructions, the track also has more modern facilities and experiences.
To sum up, it is “traditional elegance” and “continuous evolution”.# This is also the main theme direction of Taycan’s creation.
This model is based on last year’s Taycan GTS model and features a custom lime-colored paint that creates a bronze-like feeling in certain lighting conditions.
The 21-inch Mission E-style wheels have edges that match the body color.
If those are things that can be done by simply putting on a sticker, then the following two configurations are truly limited edition.
They are the limited edition badge on the B-pillar that has the shape of the Hockenheim track.
And the side welcome lights that can project the shape of the Hockenheim track from under the doors.
By contrast, the interior decoration is much more chic and classic.
The theme of the interior is custom dark leather, while the decorative stitching is a contrasting Island Green.
On both sides of the car doors, there are a lot of wooden materials commonly used in classic sports cars.
The shift lever, cup holder and ventilation vents are all made in a bronze color, and the steering wheel also uses the same decoration. The 12 o’clock return mark uses contrasting Island Green stitching.
Even if your friends haven’t seen your car, they can still know that you have bought a limited edition Porsche because the car key also uses the same color coating and has the same track emblem.
If these details fall within the range of customization, then the true privilege of car owners remains unparalleled:
The owner of this car can directly drive to the Porsche Experience Center at Hockenheimring, located at the center of the track. It also provides two years of free charging on the track, and the owner will have discounted parking rights at Porsche’s monthly enthusiast gatherings.
Therefore, the Porsche Taycan GTS Hockenheimring Edition will only be available in Germany and other selected European markets, estimated to be the area where the charging range can reach Hockenheimring.
Due to the principle of electric powertrain, the road of introducing new limited-edition models by making minor adjustments to power parameters like a gasoline-powered car seems difficult to follow. Although many brands have proposed launching limited-edition models to make a profit, in reality, there are not many good cases except for many brands launching unsustainable limited-edition models with high parameters and configurations at the initial stage.
This work by Porsche may inspire and alert many brands that aspire to this. It is not difficult to create a unique version, but the following conditions may not be easy to obtain:
- Have a popular model, preferably a high-priced model, to attract more customers who pursue uniqueness.
- Find a highly compelling cultural label to give emotional resonance to the existence of the limited edition.
- Have a design and business team that can sustainably carry out small-scale customized production financially.
- Fortunately, be seen by a media person who writes an article about it.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.