STUTTGART: The Porsche Taycan has secured a new Guinness World Record after completing an extreme, 2,783-kilometre journey that saw it go from the lowest natural point in China to the top of one of the world’s highest national highways.
The 10-day challenge began at Ayding Lake, at an altitude of minus 218.845 metres, and ended with the successful summiting of Hongtu Daban, at 5,355.134 metres above sea level.
The Xinjiang-Tibet route features desolate regions that challenge the very limits of survival, with extreme weather combining with complex and changing terrain and road conditions.
With many predictable – and unpredictable – risks along the way, the spectacular road trip was used to show the Taycan Cross Turismo's off-road capabilities, long-distance comfort and reliability.
The charging efficiency of Porsche’s 800 V architecture also proved itself in the most punishing conditions.
The record-breaking altitude change of 5,573.979 m brought with it dramatic changes in temperature, air pressure, geological conditions and other surprises from the natural world.
According to Porsche, the two Taycan 4 Cross Turismo sports cars that set out on the journey were able to meet each challenge head-on. From surface temperatures of 70°C to frozen, icy roads; from busy cities to a 5,000-metre-high no-man's land.
The route’s roadmap itself was a collection of placenames that have captured the hearts of countless off-road driving enthusiasts: the Tomur Grand Canyon, Tarim Poplar Forest, Sansha Desert Highway, Dukou-Lunque Highway and the G219 National Highway, as well as many more obscure, treacherous dirt and gravel roads that were littered with potholes.
In hot sand, wind and rain, and when road conditions were at their worst, Porsche said the Taycan Cross Turismo proved to be a trustworthy travel companion that could cope with the fatigue of long distances.
