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Porsche Taycan to serve as platform for Audi’s upcoming Sport E-tron GT Concept
While Porsche is yet to reveal the production version of the Taycan, the vehicle is already set to become the platform of another upcoming EV — the Audi Sport E-tron GT Concept, which is set to make a debut this coming November at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Audi Sport E-tron GT Concept was initially announced last March during the company’s annual conference in Ingolstadt, Germany. During its announcement, Rupert Stadler, Audi’s currently-suspended CEO, stated that the Sport E-Tron GT would offer an experience to drivers that is both familiar and unique. A teaser for the vehicle was released then as well, and it depicted an outline of a car that was aggressive and sleek.
“It’s a car that thrills at first glance, a fully-electric Gran Turismo that stands for a new kind of sportiness,” Stadler said.
While much of the details about Audi’s upcoming all-electric sports car remain unannounced, a company spokesperson has provided The Drive with some interesting new information about the vehicle. For one, the spokesperson noted that the Audi Sport E-tron GT is being developed in partnership with Porsche. This suggests that the Sport E-tron GT would likely share the J1 design, the same platform used in the Taycan, Porsche’s first all-electric car that is expected to compete with the Tesla Model S.
The Taycan is equipped with two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM) that are expected to offer outputs reaching 600 hp, as well as an 800-volt battery that can charge up to 80% in just ~15 minutes using a 350 kW charging system like the upcoming IONITY Network. Thanks to its electric motors, the Taycan is also quite zippy, with a listed 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Considering that Audi’s electric grand tourer will be utilizing the Taycan’s platform, there is a pretty good chance that the vehicle would feature comparable performance specs as its Porsche cousin.
Utilizing the Taycan’s platform could ultimately benefit Audi in the long run, especially considering that Porsche’s first all-electric car is shaping up to be a well-rounded, well-thought-out vehicle. Porsche, after all, appears to be one of the legacy automakers that is taking the electrification of its fleet seriously, as exhibited by the company’s initiative in ensuring that the Taycan is supported by a fast-charging network similar to Tesla’s Superchargers once it begins rolling out to customers. By using the Taycan’s platform, Audi would simply need to build onto Porsche’s design, allowing the carmaker to optimize the finer aspects of the Sport E-tron GT.
Just like Porsche, Audi hopes to roll out a fleet of electric car offerings in the coming years, starting with the e-tron SUV, which was unveiled earlier this week. By 2025, Audi plans to have more than 20 electrified vehicles, with more than 50% being fully-electric. Porsche, for its part, is expected to release the Taycan sometime next year, starting with an initial production run of 20,000 vehicles per year.
Tesla Cybercab sightings are broadening far and wide, well outside of downtown Austin, Texas, with autonomy in focus as the company plans to launch the all-electric, two-seater this evening in the Lone Star State.
Tesla is set to launch Cybercab to a small group of people this evening in a dedicated event in Austin, Texas. Public details on the event are relatively slim.
However, Tesla’s focus on Cybercab falls well outside of the downtown Austin area and is expanding well across the United States as things continue to move quickly with the company’s autonomous efforts in 2026. Today, various images of Cybercab fleets in interesting locations have started to circulate.
The most notable is a fleet of at least 20 Cybercabs at Miami International Airport in Florida. Spotted last night, the fleet is expansive and is indicative of a looming release of Cybercabs once regulatory boxes are checked off.
Tesla has already been operating the Robotaxi platform in Miami for several months, but this Cybercab fleet at the airport could be joining the ride-hailing platform as approvals arrive:
20+ Cybercabs spotted near Miami international airport. pic.twitter.com/ORLsw8yFhf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
Another fleet of Cybercabs was spotted at the Devon, PA showroom just outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several Cybercab units testing around the Philadelphia Metro Area, which is interesting considering Tesla does not have any active Robotaxi geofence in Pennsylvania.
Cybercab at the Devon location in PA has multiplied over the weekend. Seeing a few more test vehicles in the lot 👀 pic.twitter.com/DhJT4P1EkU
— Billy (@billykyle) August 22, 2026
Philadelphia would be an ideal location to test ride-hailing due to its dense tourist population, large, sprawling city layout, and to compete with other ride-hailing companies that operate in the city.
Expansive fleets of Cybercabs will be popping up in and around major cities throughout the rest of the year, if we were betting on it. Tesla has made it obvious that the Cybercab rollout will be aggressive and fast-paced, but within reason. Tesla is still prioritizing safety, so these testing phases will likely go on for some period of time before more members of the public are able to snag a Cybercab for a personal chariot.
The Tesla Model Y L is arguably the most hyped trim of the all-electric crossover, other than the Performance configuration that comes with white-knuckle speed and sports car-level handling.
However, it is not all perfect. Tesla owners in China who took delivery of the Model Y L, denoted with an L to highlight its longer wheelbase, are experiencing what they are referring to as “collapsing” of the rear wheels, as suspension issues appear to be an issue with some of the builds.
🚨 Model Y L owners in China report rear suspension sag
• Six-seat long-wheelbase Y. Shanghai. On sale since August 2025
• Owners say the rear tire-to-arch gap shrinks after mileage or a full load. Some cases after about 9,000 km loaded. Others near 30,000 km
• Tesla service… pic.twitter.com/Lr6i5Tbi07— Joe Hansen (@joehansen) September 1, 2026
The gap between the wheel arch and tire has narrowed to the point that “not even a single finger” could fit, according to a report from Car News China. The failures are not tied to a specific mileage, as one owner said that after just 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles), they noticed the suspension issue when their car was fully loaded.
Another one had the issue at 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) and noticed that the wheel gap shrank to two fingers, so not as drastic as the person who reported a similar issue at 9,000 km.
Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment
Along with the visual recognition of the issue, others are saying the sagging is causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tires. Extra weight and instant torque already provide additional stress on the tires in electric vehicles during normal operation, so it is no surprise that this is another complaint.
There has been no recall issued by Tesla, and the company has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.
Some are suggesting that owners use a “finger test” to self-diagnose whether there is an issue with the suspension. There should be four fingers between the tire and the wheel well; anything less than that starts to get dicey.
Tesla is starting to truly tease and hype its groundbreaking Cybercab event, which takes place tomorrow in Austin, Texas. It will be the first time members of the public will be able to ride in a Cybercab, a vehicle without any manual controls, on public roads.
Tesla has been dropping some hype on X over the past several days, but this morning, the excitement has truly started to build up for the event. Although Cybercab has been unveiled before, this is truly Tesla’s announcement that it is ready to start offering autonomous rides for public passengers in its new ride-hailing-geared vehicle for the first time.
The hype has started with a variety of different social media posts that are a true indication that Tesla is preparing for something big. Teasing so much of the potential of Cybercab, including its ability to truly revolutionize how people hail rides for local travel, is what the big idea for the event entails. The time that many Tesla owners, fans, and investors have been waiting for is potentially here:
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 2, 2026
The event has remained slim on details. Even invitees are still awaiting true details about what the event will entail, where they’ll go, and what is in store for the evening. This is pretty typical for an event run by Tesla; they keep things under wraps for the most part until the very last minute.
However, there is no secret about what the real intention of Tesla is for this event: it is going to be a huge reveal party for a vehicle that has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is a truly massive step for the company moving forward.
No steering wheel, no pedals
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) September 2, 2026
Speculation persists as to whether this is going to be an event that simply announces that rides will begin with the Cybercab, or it will be something more substantial. Tesla has said in the past that they plan to sell the Cybercab to the general public in what could become a great way to earn passive income by adding it to a more global fleet of Robotaxi-geared vehicles.
Tomorrow, the show begins in Austin, and the Cybercab goes live at some capacity; we just don’t know exactly how quite yet.
Tesla Cybercab sightings broaden well outside of Austin with autonomy in focus
Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China
