Porsche Confirms Taycan Cross Turismo for 2020
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is the practical, estate-bodied evolution of Porsche's first fully electric sports car, combining the Taycan's high-performance powertrain with a more lifestyle-oriented silhouette and genuine load-carrying ability. Confirmed by Porsche for production alongside the standard Taycan, the Cross Turismo represented a pivotal moment in the brand's electric strategy: proof that the Stuttgart manufacturer was committed not just to one electrified model, but to an entire family of zero-emission vehicles spanning multiple body styles and segments.
Porsche's Electric Ambitions: Context Behind the Taycan Cross Turismo
When Porsche published its 2019 sustainability report, the numbers were unambiguous. The company set a target for half of all global sales to be fully electric by 2025, a target that made the Taycan's commercial success absolutely critical. Early demand confirmed the strategy: by March 2019, more than 20,000 potential customers had already expressed interest before the car entered production. Porsche responded by doubling the planned annual output at its Zuffenhausen factory from 20,000 to 40,000 units, with the Cross Turismo variant adding dedicated assembly and painting facilities at the same site.
The Taycan would not stand alone in the electric lineup. An electrified Macan was already confirmed for the years following, and Porsche was actively evaluating an electric Boxster. The Cross Turismo announcement signalled that the marque understood different buyers wanted different things from their electric Porsche.
Performance and Powertrain
The Taycan Cross Turismo inherits the Taycan's dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, with the top-specification Turbo S variant producing close to 600 horsepower. Because electric motors deliver their full torque instantaneously, the 0 to 62 mph sprint takes approximately 3.5 seconds for the higher-output variants, barely a tenth of a second slower than the saloon despite the additional body mass. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and air suspension come as standard across the range, and an optional Off-Road Pack raises ground clearance by a further 10 mm over the saloon Taycan, giving the Cross Turismo a genuine cross-country capability that the name promises.
As Detlev von Platen, Porsche's then-head of sales and marketing, summarised at the reveal: "It's a more lifestyle-ish interpretation of the Taycan." That phrase captures the car precisely. It is not an SUV, but it does what an SUV does: it carries people and luggage in comfort, with room for more than 1,200 litres of total luggage space and 36 mm of additional rear headroom compared to the saloon.
A New Chapter for a Historic Factory
Zuffenhausen has been the heart of Porsche production since the company's founding. It is where the 911 and 718 are hand-assembled, and it is where the Taycan family joins them. The decision to manufacture the Taycan Cross Turismo in Zuffenhausen rather than outsourcing production underlines how seriously Porsche treats the model. A completely separate, purpose-built assembly line and dedicated painting facilities were created specifically for the electric cars, ensuring no compromise in build quality despite the radical departure from combustion-engine architecture.
For a brand built on the air-cooled flat-six, choosing to retool its most celebrated factory for battery-electric production was a statement of intent as much as an engineering decision.
The Taycan Cross Turismo and the Broader Shift to Electric Performance
The Taycan Cross Turismo confirmed what the original Taycan saloon had demonstrated: that fully electric drivetrains and Porsche-level performance are entirely compatible. It also proved that the formula scales beyond the sports car segment. If you are drawn to the idea of electric performance in a more practical package, explore the TheArsenale electric vehicle collection and the broader curated cars selection. For Porsche enthusiasts who appreciate the craftsmanship behind the brand, the Porsche 928 Engine Coffee Table and the Porsche 911 SC Machine Revival restomod represent the other end of the Porsche spectrum: artisanal, analogue, and equally compelling.
Technical specifications for the full Taycan Cross Turismo range are available on the official Porsche website, with independent range and performance analysis published by DrivingElectric.
