The 2020 Porsche Taycan is the hot topic of the hour in the automotive world. But while most enthusiasts praise its design and compare its performance to other EVs on the market, some point out that Porsche is using the "Turbo" badge inappropriately. Tesla boss Elon Musk is among those who believe that the range-topping Taycan shouldn't be wearing the Turbo nameplate and was quick to tweet about it. It didn't take long for the entire thing to blow up with replies that Tesla is misusing the Autopilot name, but we think that Musk has a good point.

Porsche Taycan Turbo Twitter Blow-Out

Shortly after the Porsche Taycan debuted, Elon Musk twitted "Um Porsche, this word Turbo does not mean what you think it does." Musk clearly refers to the Taycan Turbo, the range-topping version of the newly unveiled electric car. Musk's point is pretty obvious here: he thinks that Porsche shouldn't use the "Turbo" badge on an electric car. Because there are no turbochargers to talk about.

While some agreed with Musk, most took the tweet as a spiteful reply to Porsche. Jalopnik, for instance, replied in a similar manner with "this word Autopilot does not mean what you think it does." This was followed by a tweet from Musk with Wikipedia's page for autopilot systems, but several users pointed out that autopilots for airplanes aren't the same thing with autopilots for cars. Because Teslas can't fly. You have to love the Internet, right?

Like it or not, Elon Musk is right (kind of)

While it's easy to say that Musk's tweet comes from frustration that the Taycan is a fast and good-looking EV that will probably steal some customers from the Model S, he's actually right. An all-electric vehicle, the Taycan doesn't feature turbochargers. To be completely honest, it's a bit misleading as well.

But the really funny bit is that the same people that take things way too literal and bark at Musk for making jokes about Porsche's naming strategy also think that Tesla shouldn't use the Autopilot name since its cars don't fly. And that's because Wikipedia's page for the autopilot feature, the one that Musk himself posted in reply to Jalopnik's post, refers to this system as an aircraft feature, without any mentioning of automobiles.

But Musk is simply trying to make a point that the definition applies to the Model S and Model X as well, since Tesla's Autopilot requires constant supervision from the driver. Just like the autopilot function of an aircraft requires supervision from pilots.

However, Porsche isn't totally wrong

Granted, seeing a "Turbo" badge on an electric vehicle might be confusing, but Porsche has a good reason to use. Everyone knows that the 911 Turbo is faster and more powerful than the 911. Just like everyone knows that the Cayenne Turbo and Macan Turbo are quicker and more powerful than the Cayenne and Macan, respectively.

Porsche is basically doing the same for the Taycan. The Turbo version is simply faster and quicker than the standard model. The only difference is that the Taycan Turbo doesn't have a turbocharger. Is that completely wrong? I think not. It's just a marketing thing. Sure, Porsche could have found a different way to do this. It could have named the more powerful model the Taycan S or even the Taycan GTS, but the Turbo is a more familiar name when it comes to higher performance Porsches. The German firm chose to make use of an existing nameplate ranking rather than confuse customers with a new one. Not the best way to do it, but hey, I've seen bigger mistakes.



The funny tag game

With all serious matters set aside, I can't help but find it funny how all participants to this debate kept tagging Porsche into their posts. Seriously now, how can anyone think that Porsche would be remotely interested by a debate that mostly covers how Tesla's Autopilot feature is different from the autopilot of an airplane? Again, you just have to love the Internet!

Further Reading

Porsche Revealed The Taycan And It Is An Electric Game Changer

Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche Taycan.

Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche Taycan CUV.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo.

Read our full speculative review on the 2021 Porsche Taycan GTS.

Read our full review on the 2018 Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept.

Read our full review on the 2015 Porsche Mission E Concept.