Last month, the fully electric Porsche Cayenne announcedIt may even feature a simulated V8 engine sound."There was talk of...
this isGoodwood Festival of SpeedThis story came about because the sound coming from the speakers of the upcoming Cayenne EV (prototype) was the sound of a V8 engine.
However, reports at the time said that the sound might be a V8 engine sound (created from the sound of an actual Porsche V8 engine), but that there would be no "fake gears" to simulate gear shifting.
This is because Porsche is opposed to the idea of "fake" even if the sound is artificial, and it was thought that they would not adopt any "fake" gears. Also, Lars Kern, a former Porsche development driver,In 2024, to Australian media"Porsche has said that they will not proceed with the development of a fake gear shift for their EVs."
However, a new interview with Sascha Niesen, manager of Porsche's prototype fleet, suggests that the company's future direction may be changing.
A press test drive of the Cayenne EV prototype was held recently, where Niesen told the media, "Internal discussions about the acoustic experience when driving an electric vehicle prompted a change in thinking."
He says, "Firstly, we recorded both the interior sound for the inside of the car and the sound coming out of the exhaust for the outside. EVs have a much wider RPM range so some adjustments are needed... but in theory you can take advantage of that wider RPM range by adjusting the number of gears you set."
According to Niesen, the term "virtual gear" is not just a play on words; Porsche is actually developing an electric concept car with virtual paddle shifters and simulated shift points.
It is also reported that the company is considering whether to adopt this system in its next-generation EVs.
The project is being led by a team of engineers who typically develop dual-clutch and torque converter automatic transmissions.
Niesen reportedly drove the concept car in March and initially thought he would dislike it because it looked artificial and fake.
He even worried that the people developing it were software geeks who didn't even know how a transmission worked, and that they were just trying to copy it.
Can I even call myself a software geek? (lol)
However, when you actually drove it, the developers "really got it," as the car reproduced the natural feel of a torque converter gearbox, to the point where you couldn't tell the difference.
While many Porsche customers will likely be put off by such a feature, some true enthusiasts are said to be thrilled by the experience.
From an engineering point of view, there is no point in introducing a gear shift, but introducing a gear shift into a continuously variable transmission is said to provide a more natural feel.
By the way, since no additional hardware is required to install this virtual gear or V8 sound in the car, there is not much increase in costs for Porsche, and whether or not to use these features can be decided based on each customer's preferences, so it seems that those who do not want to use them can do so without using them.
It has not been revealed which future Porsche models these features will be added to (or whether they will actually be added at all), but the first thing that comes to mind is that if they are to be installed, it will probably be in the next fully electric Cayenne to be announced.
Perhaps they will see the reaction to the Cayenne EV and then reconsider what to do about the 718 EV, which will be released even later?
I don't know what will happen yet, but if I can experience this "Virtual Gear + V8 Sound" in the Cayenne EV in the future, I would like to compare it with the Macan EV without the virtual gear and only the EV sound.
Source:
◆Porsche Could Reportly Reconsider Fake Gear Shifts in EVs
◆Porsche Might Add a Controversial Feature To Its EVs: 'I Wanted to Hate It'
◆Porsche's Simulated EV Gear Shifting May Feel So Real, You Can't Tell The Difference
Related article:
◆The all-electric Porsche Cayenne will apparently have a V8 engine sound
◆Porsches at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed
◆Porsche's fully electric Cayenne (Cayenne EV) will be unveiled on the US West Coast at the end of 2025
◆The yet-to-be-released Porsche Cayenne EV quietly breaks hill climb record
I'm Rika, the author of this article. Since I got my hands on a Porsche 911, I've been completely hooked on Porsches and I can't stop loving them, so I started this blog. My favorite cars are the 911 Carrera (2/991), 911 Carrera Cabriolet & 911 Carrera T (1/992), GT3 (1/997) and 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
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