New Porsche Taycan hits Korea, with exclusive country edition

Porsche unveiled the latest Taycan, with a special K-edition unique to Korea that comes in five colors with a limited production of 50 cars.

From left, Alexander Fabig, vice president of Individualization and Classic at Porsche AG, Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann and Kevin Giek, vice president of product line limousines at Porsche AG, pose with the new Taycan EV during a media event in central Seoul on Thursday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

Porsche debuted an upgraded Taycan electric sports car for the Korean market on Thursday with a longer range, more power and faster charging.

The facelifted Taycan is the first partially revamped version in four years, though the exterior has not undergone a big change.

Extensive upgrades have been applied, with a higher battery capacity of 105 kilowatt-hours. The Taycan can travel up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) per single charge, up 197 kilometers from the previous version.

Despite the heavier battery, it only needs 18 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent, around half the time required by the previous model.

Kevin Giek, vice president of product line limousines at Porsche AG, introduces the new Taycan EV during a media event in central Seoul on Thursday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

The latest Taycan is even the quickest accelerating Porsche road car, with the Turbo S model taking only 2.4 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) from zero.

"The Taycan, which heralded the era of electrification for Porsche, has set new standards for electric sports cars," said Kevin Giek, vice president of product line limousines at Porsche AG, during a press event in central Seoul on Thursday. “We look forward to the success story that the new Taycan will create after reaching its new pinnacle.”

At the event, Porsche Korea also unveiled the Taycan Turbo K-Edition, available exclusively in Korea in five colors inspired by the country's nature, from its vast landscapes to pine trees, basalts and oceans.

The name "Taycan" is spelled out in hangul, the Korean alphabet, in a fine graphic inside and outside of the car. Only 50 units — 10 in each color — are available for limited sale.

The Taycan is offered in five different versions, with the sticker price starting from 129.9 million won ($97,300). The highest-performance model, the Taycan Turbo S, retails from 247.4 million won.

The Korea-exclusive edition starts from 323 million won. Delivery will begin early next year.

Last year, Korea became the fifth-largest Taycan market globally with sales of 1,805 units, up 60 percent on year.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]