Just as I was preparing to discuss the release of the updated 2025 Taycan, I received a notification from Lotus that their new Emeya hyper-GT five-door liftback grand tourer sedan has completed a three-year-long test and development program across 15 countries and two continents. The car even underwent cold-weather validation in the Arctic Circle to test its ability to withstand extremely low temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius).
It’s interesting to note that Lotus chose to announce the latest updates on the Emeya around the same time as Porsche revealed the 2025 Taycan. These two sedans will be competing for the same market share in the electric vehicle segment. Porsche has already established itself as a leader in high-performance zero-emission cars of the 2020s, and they have further solidified their position with the new variant of the Taycan Turbo S, which is now more powerful than the upcoming 905-hp R-series.
When Porsche introduces a mid-cycle update, they typically make minimal changes to the design. In the case of the Taycan, the most noticeable difference is in the front fascia, as the “dripping” headlights have been eliminated. However, Porsche has made significant technical updates to the 2025 Taycan, improving efficiency and performance across all models. Even the base model now boasts 483 horsepower, but this increase in power comes with a higher price tag. In fact, all Taycans in America now start above $100k, which is not surprising considering Porsche’s reputation for producing high-priced vehicles. Despite the cost, Porsche continues to enjoy some of the highest profit margins in the industry.
Speaking of prices, the 2025 Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S and the regular Turbo S sedan have both surpassed the $210k mark, whereas the previous versions were priced below $200k. This price increase is worth noting, and we will delve into it further shortly. But before that, let’s explore the other upgrades, such as the newer and lighter battery pack with increased energy density. This improvement allows the Performance Battery Plus to have a total capacity of 105 kWh, compared to the previous 93 kWh. According to Porsche, the real-world range has also improved, now reaching 365 miles (587 km).
Recharging is also quicker – 800-volt DC stations can provide it with up to 320 kW (+50 kW), and the 400-volt one charges at up to 150 kW. However, the most exciting news is that Porsche now has a contender for the title of electric sedans alongside the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire because the Turbo S flagship models have increased from 750 to 938 horsepower during the update procedures. Granted, it’s not as much as the 1,020-horsepower Tesla Model S Plaid, and it’s far from the 1,234-hp Lucid Air Sapphire, which is excessive electric power at its finest. But the company has ensured that very few traditional car manufacturers will have the opportunity to outshine them, and it could easily surprise Tesla’s customers who dislike the unconventional interior design and also don’t trust the startup Lucid Motors.
Regarding Porsche’s perspective, they probably believe it has more than enough power to compete with the Plaid and Sapphire because the Taycan is likely lighter than both. We will have to wait and see if the Taycan can challenge the Plaids and Sapphires at the local quarter-mile dragstrip, but I’m quite confident that it could deliver some unexpected results in the hands of skilled drivers. Additionally, the pricing situation is not as dire as everyone thinks when we consider Lucid’s viewpoint, as they sell the Sapphire for $249k. Meanwhile, the other perspective is simply disastrous, as the 405-mile dual-motor AWD Tesla Model S starts at just $75k, and even the powerful Plaid has a relatively ‘affordable’ MSRP of $90k, which is over $10k less than the base 483-hp Porsche Taycan!
Clearly, Porsche cannot match Tesla’s aggressive pricing strategy, and they will likely never attempt to do so – rather, they now see Tesla as a mass-market offering rather than a premium car manufacturer that directly competes with them. Instead, they aim to do what they excel at – offering exceptional sports cars at incredibly high prices. So far, this approach has been incredibly successful for them, hence their massive devoted following.
According to the Source autoevolution.com