Eyeing a Porsche Taycan? Here’s why it’s better to buy an official unit rather than a recon or grey import car

In the realm of luxury performance electric vehicles (EV), the Porsche Taycan is the stuff of dreams. Available officially in Malaysia in no fewer than 11 versions, including the versatile Cross Turismo bodystyle and with zero-emissions muscle ranging from 408 PS all the way up to an earth-shattering 1,034 PS, the Taycan is a machine that’s as thrilling to drive as it is to behold.

If you’re shopping for one, you’ll know there are two routes you can take – order your Taycan officially from Sime Darby Auto Performance, the authorised Porsche importer and distributor for Malaysia since 2010, or browse through the classifieds and ads for a reconditioned/grey-market import.

At first glance, the latter choice is incredibly tempting, especially when you see how much less you’d have to fork out for the car. But nothing good in life comes easy or cheap, and here are the trade-offs if you do decide to plump for such a Taycan.

Charging incompatibility

We’ll start with the most important thing when it comes to EVs – charging. Let’s face it, if you have a serious problem in this department, your EV becomes nothing more than a giant paperweight. Many Taycans in Malaysia’s grey market are imported from Japan, which uses the Type 1 (or SAE J1772) standard for AC charging, and the CHAdeMO standard for DC charging.

These plugs are few and far between in Malaysia’s public charging network, which mostly uses the European Type 2 (or Mennekes) AC and CCS2 DC charging standards. As such, your Japanese-market Taycan would be incompatible with these public chargers.

You may say you’ll buy a Type 1-Type 2 and/or a CCS2-CHAdeMO adaptor, but cases of EVs not being able to accept charge through such adaptors are not unheard of, and given that these adaptors are often not adequately certified, nor their usage regulated, the risks are huge.

You could say you’ll just charge at home. Sure, but if you’ve ever driven a Taycan, you’ll know what a great long-distance cruiser it is. Although there are versions with well over 600 km of WLTP range, wouldn’t you like the freedom and flexibility to enjoy long road trips without having to come home to charge?

Insurance and warranty concerns

You would not want your electronics to malfunction on any EV – let alone a Porsche Taycan for which you’ve saved up for so long – and should anything untoward happen, there is a risk that your insurance company may deem the use of aforementioned adaptors as tampering. There then goes your insurance claim.

Moreover, recon/grey-market cars often come with no warranty or at best, a very basic dealer-backed one, and no official support for software updates nor important technical campaigns. It’s a Porsche – one of the most hallowed marques in the motoring world – and you would want all possible measures taken to protect it, wouldn’t you?

Total peace of mind, app access and charging privileges from Porsche Malaysia

Having been importing, distributing, selling and servicing Porsches in Malaysia for 15 years, Sime Darby Auto Performance knows a thing or three about ensuring your Taycan will give you years and years of smiles and miles. Besides standard warranties of four years on the vehicle and eight years on the battery, you get a complimentary maintenance package and the option to extend your vehicle warranty to as long as 15 years.

What’s more, your official Taycan will be in the capable hands of High Voltage Expert-certified technicians, and if you ever need roadside support, Porsche Assist is always there for you.

Also, in this day and age, app connectivity is fast becoming a must, especially for EVs. You can use the Porsche Connect App with an official Taycan; this is not a certainty with a recon/grey import because your Porsche ID, which is needed for many of the app’s features to work, must originate from the country where the vehicle was officially imported.

We’ve saved what is arguably the best for last. As an owner of an official Taycan, you are automatically a Shell Recharge Platinum member for three years, so you get 50% off charging and usability in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand (this is a Porsche Malaysia EV exclusive), with charging up to 360 kW at selected Shell Recharge locations. You can also charge at Porsche Centres for free at speeds of up to 350 kW.

So there you have it – a multitude of good reasons why you should pay a visit to Sime Darby Auto Performance for your Porsche Taycan, because you can’t really put a price on total peace of mind. For more information, visit the nearest Porsche Centre or the official Taycan model page.

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