The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo could arrive in 2021.
More Porsche 911 variants are expected, such as the GT2 and GT3.
Porsche Panamera gets updated with design changes and chassis tweaks.
The next decade will be critical for many automakers, as cities and countries around the world are committing to ban sales of combustion-engine vehicles by 2030 to 2040. Shifting to EVs will take some time for certain brands, but Porsche seems to be ready for this new reality.
Part of the Volkswagen Group that announced its transition to EVs following the Dieselgate debacle, Porsche recently launched its first fully electric car, and there are more to come. Here’s what to expect from the Porsche brand in 2021.
Sales of the Porsche Taycan are well under way. The most affordable 4S features 522 horsepower with its overboost function, and the automaker claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.0). The Taycan Turbo gets 670 hp and a 3.0-second 0-60 time, while the Turbo S boasts 750 hp and a 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds. The Taycan gets a few changes for 2021, including colour head-up display, a suspension lift system to clear speed bumps and slightly smaller brakes to save weight.
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is the next model to be introduced by the German luxury brand. It shares its platform and powertrains with the Taycan sedan, but wears a wagon-esque body for a crossover-like style. The Cross Turismo might find its way in dealer showrooms during the 2021 calendar year.
The iconic Porsche 911 continues its trim level expansion, as is usually the case when a new generation of the brand’s models is introduced. The seven-speed manual transmission was recently reintroduced, as was the 911 Targa with its power-retractable roof. With the latter, the coupe and the cabriolet, in addition to rear- and all-wheel drivetrains along with twin-turbo flat-six engines with power ranging from 379 to 640 horses, there are no less than 15 configurations of the 911 to choose from as these lines are being written. We can expect to see the return of the GT2 and GT3 variants pretty soon—probably in 2021.
There are 10 configurations of the Porsche 718 right now, mixed between the 718 Cayman coupe and the 718 Boxster roadster. Most of them are equipped with turbo 2.0L and 2.5L flat-four engines, developing 300 and 350 horsepower respectively, while the GTS 4.0 editions get a 394-horsepower, naturally aspirated 4.0L flat-six. The range-topping 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder get the same 4.0L engine, but with 414 horsepower. No significant changes are in store for the new year.
The Porsche Panamera fastback sedan and its Sport Turismo wagon-esque counterpart receive a mid-cycle refresh for 2021, with revised front and rear styling, new interior trimmings and a revised chassis. Between the two body styles, rear- and all-wheel drivetrains, wheelbases and engines, there are no less than 21 configurations of the nameplate on offer. The base engine is a twin-turbo 2.9L V6 with 325 horsepower, while a 443-hp version of the same engine is found in the 4S variants. The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid boasts a combined output of 455 hp, while the 4S E-Hybrid gets 552 hp. The GTS and Turbo S editions are equipped with a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 good for 473 and 620 hp, respectively. The range-topping Turbo S E-Hybrid editions rip the pavement with 689 horsepower and a 0-60 time of about three seconds.
The Porsche Macan gets minor tweaks for 2021, which is available in four trim levels. The base Macan features a turbo 2.0L four with 248 horsepower, while the S gets a turbo 3.0L V6 developing 348 horses. The GTS receives a twin-turbo 2.9L V6 with 375 horsepower, while the Turbo uses the same engine, but with a 434-hp output. Quite a while ago, Porsche had confirmed that a fully electric Macan would hit the market for 2022, and it might debut sometime in 2021.
Last but not least, the Porsche Cayenne was redesigned for the 2019 model year, and since the nameplate was introduced for the 2003 model year, the company has built more than one million units. The plug-in hybrid variants of the Cayenne get a larger battery pack and improved charging times, along with slightly improved driving range estimates. The powertrain lineup consists of the 335-hp turbo 3.0L V6 in the base Cayenne, the 455-hp setup that uses the 3.0L V6 in the E-Hybrid, the 434-hp twin-turbo 2.9L V6 in the Cayenne S, the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 that respectively develops 453 and 541 hp in the GTS and Turbo editions, along with the V8-powered, 670-hp plug-in hybrid system in the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. With the regular and Coupe body styles, there are 12 configurations of the Porsche Cayenne to choose from.
