Spy Shots – Porsche Taycan Facelift

On the market in sedan guise since September 2019 and as the Cross Tourismo and Sport Tourismo since March 2021 and November 2021 respectively, the Porsche Taycan was the first fully electric model of the Stuttgart company. Our spies have now snapped an undisguised prototype of the facelifted Taycan, likely to hit showrooms later this year as a 2024 model. The prototype got snapped on and around the Nürburgring race track in Germany.

Existing Taycan variants may get a bump in the range, which is currently the biggest issue and a major let-down, especially compared to the American rivals. The Tesla Model S can travel up to 640 kilometres on a full charge, while the Lucid Air’s maximum range is 830 kilometres, both being EPA-est. figures. The best the Porsche Taycan can do is just 395 kilometres. The 2024 Porsche Taycan’s maximum range could be close to 450 kilometres – still nowhere near rivals but at least better than today’s car.

Facing heat from Tesla and Lucid Motors, Porsche probably realized that it would have to plan significant technical upgrades for the Taycan with the facelift. The rumored Turbo GT variant of the new Porsche Taycan will reportedly sport a triple-motor powertrain with more than 1,000 hp. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT should take on the likes of the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire.

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Over the past few months, cleverly-disguised tri-motor Taycan development prototypes have been captured undergoing tests in different conditions. They reveal a wider and sportier front splitter, a large fixed rear wing, and an aggressive rear diffuser with wing extensions on the bumper.

Similarly, while there’s a possibility that Porsche could offer the Taycan tri-motor variant with a fixed rear wing for increased downforce, we doubt it will be a standard fitment on the production model because of its palpable effect on aerodynamics and therefore, range. As with other facelifts, the brand is likely to offer customers new colour and interior trim options, along with a new design for the alloy wheels.

While the dual-motor Taycan Turbo S does 0-100 km/h mph in just 2.6 seconds, the triple-motor Taycan may accomplish the same in a little over two seconds. Media reports further highlight the new variant featuring bigger brakes and an enhanced cooling system. Meanwhile, Porsche is likely to have also modified the chassis and suspension to handle the elevated performance capabilities, updated the digital screens to display additional powertrain information, and possible efficiency enhancements for the drivetrain.

The Taycan supports charging at up to 19.2 kW with alternating current and at up to 270 kW with direct current. Charging from 0 to 100% using an AC charger takes as little as 4.8 hours, and from 5 to 80% using a DC charger takes as little as 22.5 minutes.

The facelifted Taycan could have a slightly higher DC charging input of close to 300 kW. More importantly, it could accept charging at high power for long durations. Recently, spy shots showed the new model in the rumoured Turbo GT variant charging at 251 kW even at 64% SoC.

Spy pictures indicate Porsche may introduce new ADAS functions on the Taycan, enabled by a new radar system positioned behind the windscreen. We expect the company to offer new options for the upholstery and trim.

Porsche should offer its newly developed, HD LED Matrix headlights with the new Taycan. Compared to the current specification, the new lighting system is twice as bright and has four times the spread. Consisting of two LED chips (four overall), each chip comprises 16,384 individually controllable micro-LEDs that fit into an area equivalent to the size of a human thumbnail. Depending on the conditions, individual pixels can be turned on or off, thus making the high-res system extremely energy efficient.