When Porsche pulls back the covers on the facelifted Taycan – probably in time for November’s Los Angeles Auto Show next month – all the focus will be on the new Turbo GT and how much faster it can lap the Nurburgring than its arch rival, the Track Package-equipped Tesla Model S Plaid.
But with its front and rear spoilers, likely 900+ hp (913 PS) power output and a price we’re guessing will be the wrong side of $200,000, the Turbo GT will be twice as expensive as an entry-level Taycan, and so out of reach for most drivers. The good news for them is that the entire Taycan line is getting a refresh more than five years after the game-changing production EV made its global debut at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Like the Turbo GT we spotted last month, the regular Taycan seen here gets a new face characterized by the sort of angular cheekbones that suggest the design team consulted a Hollywood plastic surgeon before carving into the front bumper. We can also see Porsche’s trick new LED headlights that are capable of projecting a light beam an incredible 600 m (1,970 ft) down the road, while at the back, the bumper now features vertically-mounted grilles beneath each taillight.
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And that appears to be it for exterior changes. Unlike most five-year-old cars, which are already wearing out their first facelift, the Taycan still looks so contemporary that Porsche hardly felt the need to change anything. And some consolation for buyers who can’t afford the Turbo GT is that although the new flagship’s spoilers clearly mark it out as the performance variant, they also detract from the simplicity of the overall design.
As for the inside, well, maybe existing buyers found that a little too simple because previous spy shots suggest Porsche has added a cowl to the curved digital instrument pack to give the dashboard a more old-school feel. And you can guarantee that there’ll be upgrades to the infotainment, connectivity and probably the ADAS safety systems, too.
We’re also expecting to see improvements to performance and driving range across the lineup, which currently starts with the $90k Taycan, a single-motor sedan with 402 hp (300 kW / 408 PS) and an unimpressive 208-mile (335 km) EPA driving range.
