There was a lot of news in the last few days, namely from Porsche who confirmed the Taycan Cross Turismo. Tesla also teased its pickup and Lotus said we should expect a new model in 2020.
Let’s take a look at some of the big automotive news we missed or that was announced late yesterday including the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo confirmed for next year, a Tesla pickup teased after the unveiling of the new Model Y, and a 2020 Lotus on the way.
Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Confirmed for 2020
The Porsche Taycan EV sedan is scheduled to debut in September. This week, Porsche confirmed that the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo version will follow one year after the sedan.
Planned for early 2020, the Taycan Cross Turismo is based on the sedan, but will be its own thing as Porsche’s first electrified SUV. Think of it as a Panamera Sport Turismo with higher ground clearance and an electric engine, and you’re on the right path.
It will be for those buyers who love the idea of the Taycan but need more interior space and more off-road capability. We expect it to get the same powertrain as the Taycan sedan which means over 600 horsepower and 400 kilometers of range.
It will be joined later by the all-electric, next-generation Porsche Macan. By 2025, Porsche expects half of its sales to be electrified models.
Read more about the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.
New Tesla Pickup Image Teased
Everyone was focused on the brand-new Tesla Model Y, but Tesla had more news this week. As a matter of fact, one bit of news went practically unnoticed but it was certainly noteworthy. We are talking about the new Tesla pickup which was teased after the Model Y unveiling.
Direct competitor to the Rivian R1T electric pickup, the Tesla truck will be called the “Cyberpunk” pickup. The teaser image seen above was flashed about a minute into the Model Y presentation, but nobody really noticed.
Of course, the image doesn’t give us much of anything in terms of info. We see what is likely the covered box of the new Tesla truck, but it’s hard to tell.
In any case, Tesla and Elon Musk have often talked about a pickup coming after the Model Y. In 2017, Tesla said they had the design and mechanical elements in place to build an all-electric pickup. Expect more news now that the Model Y has been unveiled.
A New Lotus Sports Car is Coming in 2020
We haven’t heard a lot about Lotus in the last few years. They did launch a Christmas ad campaign last year, but that’s about it. According to Lotus CEO Phil Popham, however, that’s about to change.
Popham told Autocar that a new Lotus was coming in 2020. Few details were given, but we do know that it will be based on the current Lotus architecture and won’t be a new-generation Elise, Exige or Evora. These models are coming as well, but the new Lotus due in 2020 will be a kind of filler as Lotus owner Geely starts to increase spending.
In other words, Lotus will unveil a new model next year to tide us over as we wait for a new generation of Lotus models built on a brand-new platform. We can’t wait.
