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Porsche welcomes Taycan buyers with official “certificate of participation” as first production nears
Porsche Taycan reservation holders are starting to receive the first of several welcome packages and promotional material, as the company gears up to deliver its first all-electric car later this year. “Certificates of Participation in the Taycan Deposit Option Program” have been mailed to enthusiastic buyers from across the world who landed spots on the Taycan waiting list with their local dealership.
Porsche has reported a warm reception to the reservation program on the highly-anticipated electric sports car, specifically citing customer reaction as “fantastic”, well before the final version of the production model has been revealed. In an interview with CNET’s Roadshow in December last year, Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer would not provide specific pre-order amounts but hinted at a promising number by saying, “If all the people [who placed reservations] buy this car, then we are sold out for the first year.” A further review of discussions taking place in Taycan forums reveals customer placements in line anywhere from number 20 to over 150 across a sample of dealerships in North America and Europe.
After patiently watching the Taycan’s (formerly Mission E) development over the last year, including high-speed track testing on the famed Nurburgring and the promise of an ultra-fast charging network, Porsche’s sign of appreciation is, as one certificate recipient described it, a “nice little gesture to tide us over.”
In Porsche’s participation package, a logo-and-signature adorned certificate greets recipients under the document’s title along with the words, “In recognition of your support in helping us write the next chapter of Porsche, this certificate is issued to:” followed by the reservation holder’s name. A beveled outline of a Taycan sketch above the vehicle logo is beneath that and above the signature of Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche Cars North America. The black folder securing the certificate has a white print version of the same sketch on the left side and the words “Welcome to an Electric New Era” also printed in white on the right side. According to related comments made in Internet forums dedicated to the Taycan, certain customers in Europe also received silhouetted color photos of the car in the tri-fold and a neon yellow-green charging cord with their participation packages.
Also of interest in the Taycan development world is the background of reservation holders. Zellmer commented on this point as well: “More than half of the people that are signing up for the Taycan have not owned or do not own a Porsche…Typically, if we look at our source of business, people coming from other brands, it’s Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. The number one brand now is Tesla,” he stated. The findings certainly make sense considering Tesla’s reputation as a manufacturer of electric luxury performance vehicles versus Porsche’s longstanding position in the automotive industry as the maker of high-performance vehicles with a similar reputation amongst their peers. Additionally, a comparison of the core metrics of Tesla’s Model S and the Taycan makes them likely to appeal to the same customer base.
“Welcome to an Electric New Era”
Some Taycan buyers-in-waiting have directly expressed this connection. In a statement to Teslarati, Mike, a former Tesla Model 3 reservation holder who traded his place in line for the opportunity to own Porsche’s first electric car, detailed the specifics of his journey from one electric vehicle to the other.
“I was a day one, 9 AM March 31, 2016, Tesla Model 3 reservation holder…So I held a very early Model 3 reservation for over 18 months before falling out of love with the delays, price, and looks,” he explained as a reason for canceling his reservation. Mike’s lifelong support of the German automaker prompted him to join Porsche’s online deposit program for the Taycan as soon as it was made available. “I drove a restored Porsche 914 in high school and have been a huge fan of the brand ever since. Early 2018 I found a nice used Porsche 991 that matched (ok, slightly stretched) the projected Model 3 budget.”
The tri-fold mailer combo received is reminiscent of the “token of appreciation” gifts sent by Tesla to early Model 3 reservation holders containing sketches of the vehicle and a note from CEO Elon Musk.
Mike, who provided Teslarati with the participation certificate images, regularly posts photos related to his automotive hobbies and projects on Instagram. The electric car enthusiast wanted to make it clear that there were no hard feelings in the choice, just a decision made from personal preference. “I’m still a huge fan of Tesla and Elon for the record.”
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Porsche originally revealed the Taycan in 2015 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Originally called “Mission E”, the name has since been broadened to refer to the global project for the company’s developing line of electric vehicles while the vehicle itself adopted an artificial name devised from a Eurasian word meaning “young wild horse.” Porsche has also teamed up with the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford, and the Volkswagen Group in a project to develop the IONITY fast-charging network in Europe, and there are further plans to install 500 ultra-fast chargers in the United States.
The letter mailed to Porsche Taycan reservation holders reads as follows:
We’d like to personally thank you for enrolling in the Porsche Taycan Depositor Option Program.
For over 70 thrilling years, Porsche’s mission has been driven by one question: What does the sports car of the future look like? This pursuit of innovation and embrace of the unexpected is what pushes us to bring concepts like the Taycan to fruition, and it wouldn’t be possible without the continuing support of enthusiasts like you.
The Taycan marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for us: the very first all-electric sports car with a Porsche soul. It is the embodiment of a marriage of electricity and emotion that could only be found in a Porsche.
We’ll continue to be in touch in the coming months as we eagerly await the arrival of the Taycan. Additionally, please find enclosed a certificate marking your official status as a participant in this program. We thoroughly appreciate your continued commitment to the future of sports cars.
Sincerely,
Klaus Zellmer
CEO, Porsche Cars North America
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Pedro Mota
VP, Marketing, Porsche Cars North America
The Trump Administration today made several key moves to help with the deployment of autonomous vehicles by cutting overreaching red tape that has stifled growth and innovation for years.
The moves, which were put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aim to grant temporary exemptions to at least one company currently, although that could expand in the coming months. Additionally, it will work with organizations to develop standards and a sound but efficient regulatory landscape.
Zoox is the only company mentioned explicitly by the Trump Administration in its press release announcing the new terms today. They will receive a temporary two-year exemption that will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years.
There is a potential exemption for Robomart, Inc., which “requests a temporary exemption from certain FMVSS No. 500 requirements for a low-speed vehicle operated by an ADS without a human driver onboard. NHTSA will publish a separate notice seeking public comment on its merits once the initial evaluation is complete,” the agency said.
Here are the five new terms that Secretary Sean Duffy has implemented through the NHTSA today:
- Allow Zoox to commercially deploy its robotaxis through a temporary exemption.
This temporary exemption will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years, subject to an enhanced, adaptable oversight structure that can evolve as Zoox’s technology advances. - Accelerate development of first-ever AV performance standards through a partnership with SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (ITC).
This partnership will fund a three-year, $5 million “A2SCEND” consortium, bringing together experts to gather data and accelerate creation of the first-ever AV performance standards. This project will inform a single national standard for AV safety to eliminate the patchwork regulatory landscape that has stifled innovation for years. - Publish an interim final rule that allows vehicles manufactured prior to an exemption to be eligible for a commercial deployment exemption.
This rule will modernize the application process and improve access to exemptions for innovators, including AV developers, by granting the NHTSA Administrator the discretion to apply temporary exemptions to vehicles manufactured prior to the effective date of an exemption grant. - Streamline the application process for Part 555 exemptions by updating guidance and soliciting feedback from the public.
By updating the Part 555 exemption process—which allows automakers to temporarily sell a limited number of non-compliant vehicles, primarily to test new technologies—NHTSA is aiming to create a more flexible oversight structure for exemptions and summarize recent AV framework activities, including expanded exemption pathways, streamlined crash reporting, and ongoing efforts to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). - Establish a new Federal Docket for public feedback on NHTSA’s updated safe AV development and deployment guidance.
NHTSA is updating its technical guidance for AVs for the first time since 2017—focusing on key safety areas like emergency responder interactions, safety management systems, remote assistance, and post-crash behavior to help the industry scale up driverless deployments safely.
Additionally, the NHTSA said it has modernized some safety standards by proposing updates to:
- FMVSS 102 – Transmission shifting
- FMVSS 103/104 – Windshield defrosting and wiping
- FMVSS 110 – Tire placards
- FMVSS 135 – Braking systems
- FMVSS 101 – Controls and displays
- FMVSS 108 – Vehicle lighting
- FMVSS 111 – Mirrors and rearview display
- FMVSS 126 – Electronic stability control systems
- FMVSS 201/208 – Sun visors and warning labels
These changes aim to make the regulatory process for autonomous vehicles more streamlined and efficient, which could help the U.S. gain dominance over autonomous vehicle systems moving forward.
Elon Musk is, in many respects, one of the biggest and most influential figures in modern-day artificial intelligence.
Given that Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are all looked at in their respective fields as leaders to an extent, each of them has a heavy influence on the future of AI, even though two of them are not thought of, at face value, as AI companies.
Musk has grand expectations for what is to come with AI, not only as a form of assistance to make human lives easier, but to make humans multiplanetary and solve some of the biggest issues that face us today. But even he is astounded by AI’s pace of progress.
He believes that in two years, AI will be so mind-blowing it might be unrecognizable.
Given that AI from 2 years ago feels so old that it should be in a museum, then obviously AI 2 years from now will be mind-blowing https://t.co/TcsKZ8o8OE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2026
This progress can be seen in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most popular way people have shown AI’s progress, especially on social media, is through an incredibly arbitrary way of watching Will Smith eat spaghetti:
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The progression in AI of Will Smith eating spaghetti (2023 – 2026) pic.twitter.com/VDv82mB5gs
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) February 10, 2026
This is a great way to show people how AI is improving, especially from a perspective that examines how it can manufacture images and video from prompts. AI is an incredibly complex concept, however, and it goes much deeper than Will Smith eating Italian food.
Musk’s most widely adopted method of AI is likely Tesla Full Self-Driving, which impacts millions of people as they utilize it to increase safety with their travel. Musk has routinely pushed incredibly aggressive timelines for self-driving, especially unsupervised.
Perhaps this perspective is why he feels that things will be solved in a timeframe that is much more aggressive than most of us would think. Regardless, the progress of AI is moving fast, and it seems that Musk’s expectations for it could be high.
But if it can actually achieve full-length motion pictures and even more realistic production value, it will be hard to distinguish between reality and AI very soon.
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Tesla just officially confirmed it has built its 10 millionth car, a major milestone for the company that started producing sustainable electric powertrains less than two decades ago.
In that time, Tesla has truly revolutionized the automotive industry, disrupting the idea of what a car should be, how it should be fueled, and how it truly impacts day-to-day life.
10 million vehicles produced globally.
Congrats to all Tesla teams! pic.twitter.com/JkcraR63bs— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) July 30, 2026
Tesla achieved this feat across four production facilities: the Fremont Factory in Fremont, California, Gigafactory Shanghai in China, Gigafactory Berlin in Germany, and Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Texas.
The 10 millionth vehicle was a Diamond Black Model Y.
Over the course of the past roughly 18 years, Tesla has evolved its lineup from a sporty sedan built on a Lotus body to a lineup of various body styles, performance metrics, and other characteristics that make each one unique.
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This is an incredible achievement for a company that is young compared to what it goes up against. When Tesla entered the automotive market, Ford, GM, and Stellantis widely dominated the playing field. Since then, Tesla has caused such a disruption that these three massive brands had to scramble to create EV projects of their own.
Despite their best efforts, they have not been able to match the prowess or the effectiveness of Tesla. They are all reliant on Tesla’s charging infrastructure, their software is inferior, and their self-driving projects are elementary in comparison.
Tesla felt its fair share of growing pains over the years as well. As recent at 2019, there were complaints about build quality, paint quality, and overall luxuriousness. These things have all been improved upon through the company’s maturity, and these strides in quality have led to this 10 million vehicle production achievement, something that other small-and-scrappy EV makers will hope to accomplish one day.
Autonomous vehicle red tape gets slashed by Trump Administration
Elon Musk has a crazy prediction about AI in two years
