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Porsche Taycan Turbo first ride teases production specs and price, Turbo S and RWD GTS variant

A render of the Porsche Taycan's production version. (Photo: Dee/TaycanForum.com)

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Porsche recently granted Automobile Magazine a rare test ride in the Taycan Turbo, the top-tier variant of the company’s first modern all-electric car. The test drive provided what could only be described as the closest look yet at the upcoming vehicle, and based on the impressions of the magazine; it appears that the Taycan Turbo could very well become one of Porsche’s most iconic cars yet.

Porsche designed the Taycan with the same principles as its other vehicles. It’s luxurious inside and out, it handles like a sports car, and it is quick — very, very quick. The motoring magazine highlighted this in its test ride, stating that the vehicle has a habit of pushing drivers and passengers back into their seats when it accelerates from 0-60 mph in just over 3 seconds. The publication also noted that the Taycan is more reminiscent of the Porsche 911 than Porsche’s four-door flagship, the Panamera, based on the way the car handled itself despite its weight.

While the Taycan is undeniably impressive, the test ride did raise a particular concern for the vehicle: it’s charging infrastructure, which remains a work in progress. The Taycan could be charged with up to 250 kW at an 800V charge point, but there are only a few charging stations with that output today. Even 400V stations, which can charge the Taycan at around 150 kW, are still relatively few. One can only hope that Porsche can secure the Taycan’s charging infrastructure by the time the vehicle’s production version is unveiled this coming September.

A render of the Porsche Taycan’s production version. (Credit: St00k/Taycanforum.com)

Perhaps most notable from the publication’s test drive were the details of the electric car that were revealed by the carmaker. For one, all Taycans, regardless of trim, are equipped with coated PSCB brakes, though carbon ceramic options are available. Similar to other electric vehicles, the Taycan is capable of regenerative braking as well, though the vehicle’s maximum regeneration is an impressive 250 kW. Higher-tier models also boast features like air suspension and rear-wheel steering.

Porsche is yet to fully announce the final specs of the Taycan, though a brand ambassador has confirmed the contents of a document obtained by the Automobile listing the features and specs of each Taycan version. According to the document, the base Taycan will be Rear Wheel Drive only, and it will be equipped with an 80 kWh battery pack. The base Taycan will be powered by a choice of 240-kW (322-hp) and 280-kW (375-hp) motors, and it will command a price in the low ~$90,000 range.

A render of the Porsche Taycan’s production version. (Credit: St00k/Taycanforum.com)

The vehicle’s mid-range variant, the Taycan 4S, will reportedly be equipped with a 96 kW battery pack and 320-kW (429-hp) or 360-kW (483-hp) electric motors. Pricing for the Taycan 4S will reportedly start in the high ~$90,000 range. The Taycan Turbo, which will be the vehicle’s top-of-the-line version upon its release, will reportedly feature a 96 kWh battery, a 160-kW (215-hp)/221-lb-ft motor up front, and a 300-kW (402-hp)/405-lb-ft motor at the rear. Pricing for the Taycan Turbo is expected to start at ~$140,000.

The Porsche Taycan is expected to be unveiled sometime this coming September, with the company offering the base, 4S, and Turbo versions to customers. At least two other variants of the Taycan will reportedly be unveiled later, one of which is a pretty insane 540-kW (724-hp) Turbo S version and a lighter RWD GTS trim that will most likely be incredibly fun to drive on the track. Porsche is also planning on improving its charging infrastructure in the near future, with peak charging rates for the vehicle increasing from 250 kW to 350 kW by 2021 at the latest.

The Porsche Taycan is arguably one of the most anticipated vehicles in the electric car market this year, particularly as it is one that has the potential to directly challenge the Tesla Model S in the premium EV segment. Porsche is moving full throttle to prepare for the Taycan’s production and ramp, with the company drastically upgrading its Zuffenhausen site to accommodate the manufacturing of the vehicle.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade

Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.

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Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)
Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)

Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.

The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”

The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.

It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.

The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.

For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.

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Tesla’s Cybercab fleet jumped 8x in a month, with Dallas up next

Tesla confirms its first official Cybercab fleet number as Austin scales fast and Dallas looms.

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Tesla says more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, the first time the company has put an official number on its active Cybercab fleet. The figure came from the Robotaxi account on X on Saturday, which wrote that one month after launch the service had “scaled to 300+ Cybercabs serving Austin – an 8x increase in 30 days.”

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI software, quoted the post with a line that carried the bigger news. “Two years since the 10/10 Cybercab WeRobot event, the cabs are everywhere in Austin now. Dallas soon,” he wrote. It is the first time Tesla has named the next city for public Cybercab rides.

Tesla opened Cybercab rides to the public in Austin on September 4, as Teslarati reported, a day after an invite only launch event. The ramp since then has been steep. Our September 28 report had the fleet at well over 100 units after availability jumped from 58 to 125 in a single week. On Thursday, Tesla added 150 Cybercabs to the Texas automated vehicle registry, lifting its registered count to 319 from 169. The first seven appeared on the registry on August 31.

RobotaxiTracker, a community site that counts vehicles from sightings and state records, listed 275 vehicles in unsupervised service in Austin on Saturday, 105 of them Cybercabs, which is well below Tesla’s figure. Tracker counts can lag official numbers, though Sawyer Merritt noted that Cybercab wait times in Austin stayed short on Saturday evening even with more than 2,000 fans in town for X Takeover.

Regulators are watching the rollout. NHTSA opened an audit query into Tesla’s certification that the Cybercab meets federal safety standards, and sworn answers are due October 30. Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21, which gives the company a natural venue to define its fleet numbers and put a date on Dallas.

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Elon Musk roasts India’s billionaire Mukesh Ambani as Starlink fight heats up

Elon Musk sarcastically calls Mukesh Ambani ‘Prime Minister’ as the Starlink India standoff escalates again.

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Elon Musk escalated his public fight over Starlink’s launch in India on Friday, addressing Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” in a sarcastic post on X. “Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote, before accusing Ambani of “monopolistic exploitation” and asking whether he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete.” In follow up posts, he said Starlink has proven essential during natural disasters and would help parts of India with no internet access.

The post came two days into a fight that Musk sparked up on Wednesday, when he said Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.” He called it “a crime against the people of India” and left the names out, adding only, “You can guess who they are.” Jio and Airtel together hold more than 80% of India’s telecom market. On Thursday, Musk asked whether Ambani is “the real boss of India” and said Starlink has spent five years complying with “every single law and requirement” of the Indian government.

India’s government has pushed back each time. The Ministry of Communications called the suggestion that its framework is unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived.” Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said Friday that three companies hold satcom licenses: Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications, and Bharti backed Eutelsat OneWeb. Amazon’s Kuiper, now Amazon Leo, is still going through the process. None can launch until regulators finalize satellite spectrum pricing and the Home Ministry signs off on each company’s security compliance. Scindia said the telecom regulator and the Department of Telecommunications are close to a decision on pricing, The Hindu reported. Bharti chairman Sunil Mittal also said OneWeb is still waiting on approvals.

Starlink received its operator license in 2025 after a three year wait, and the space regulator IN-SPACe granted what industry executives called the last approval needed in July. The holdup since then centers on security, particularly concern that foreign operators could bypass Indian gateways.

Musk and Ambani have been on opposite sides of this before. In late 2024, Ambani argued for auctioning satellite spectrum, which Musk criticized as out of step with the rest of the world, and India chose administrative allocation instead. By March 2025, the two sides had signed a deal to sell Starlink devices in Reliance stores, and Starlink secured its telecom license that June. That partner is now also a competitor. Jio is reportedly weighing a constellation of 1,600 to 1,650 satellites costing an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion, while Akash Ambani has told shareholders Jio plans to lease capacity from global providers to move quickly.

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