With companies like Tesla opening the path for other carmakers to make the jump towards full electrification, several noteworthy electric vehicles from the auto industry’s prominent players are expected to be released in the next few years. Among these is a vehicle that Porsche is working on — an all-electric SUV aimed at competing with the likes of the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-PACE.
Porsche already has electric cars in its pipeline. This year, the company expects to release the Taycan, a premium high-performance sedan that will compete in the same market as the Tesla Model S. The Taycan would not be Porsche’s only electric car for long, though, as CEO Olliver Blume noted that the company had already greenlighted the production of the Mission E Cross Turismo. The Cross Turismo is based on the Taycan, though the vehicle is configured with higher ground clearance and wheels that can handle unpaved roads.
As noted by UK-based WhatCar though, Porsche is also looking to release another all-electric SUV around 2022. Just like the Taycan, the yet-to-be-named vehicle is expected to be equipped with two electric motors that produce at least 400 bhp. Other details of the vehicle are still scarce at this point, though speculations point to the SUV having a real-world range of at least 250 miles per charge.
The Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo and the Taycan. (Photo: Porsche)
While not as robust as the range of competitors like the Tesla Model X, Porsche’s upcoming electric SUV would likely be capable of ultra-fast charging, which would enable the vehicle to charge its batteries very quickly. This would also be a notable edge against competitors like the Jaguar I-PACE, which does not have support from a network of Superchargers like Tesla’s, or Porsche’s upcoming 350 KW stations.
The upcoming SUV is currently speculated to be an electric powered successor to the Porsche Macan. As such, the vehicle would definitely be larger than the Taycan and the Mission E Cross Turismo, both of which are based on the same platform. Thanks to the vehicle’s all-electric construction and design, though, the upcoming SUV is expected to offer space and storage similar to the larger Porsche Cayenne, despite being more similar in size to the smaller Macan.
What is rather interesting is that the vehicle would most likely be the start of yet another line of electric cars from the veteran carmaker. Similar to how the Taycan could be the basis of more EVs, the upcoming electric SUV would likely be the start of a whole new family of vehicles as well.
Porsche is arguably the most serious among the industry’s legacy automakers when it comes to the adoption of electric mobility. In an announcement last year, for one, the German company announced that it is discontinuing its entire diesel lineup. Instead, the company is pushing for full electrification, with Porsche stating that by 2025, half its offerings would either be hybrids or all-electric cars. In a statement to CNN Money, Blume explained that while Porsche is not in any way “demonizing” diesel, the company has decided to forego the fuel nonetheless.
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“(Diesel) is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology. We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free,” the Porsche CEO said.
Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
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Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
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This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
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Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
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Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car
