Porsche Taycan 2027: Virtual gears, bigger batteries and wild ‘Manthey Kit’ highlight key changes to electric flagship

---

Porsche has taken a sizable leaf out of Hyundai’s electric playbook, integrating a new E-Shift system, bringing “virtual (fake) gearchanges” paired with a “more emotive” synthetic soundtrack, called Electric Sport Sound, to its MY27 electric Taycan lineup.  

Much like feature fitted to Korean Ioniq 5 and 6 N models, E-Shift offer fully manual (or automatic) faux upshifts and downshifts with a new paddleshifter wheel design for Taycan, said to specifically simulate an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission as found in combustion models such as 911.

E-Shift activation also reconfigures the Taycan’s digital display with a skin mimicking Porsche’s famed central roundel tachometer, complete with redline, gear indicator and rev-limiting functionality. It features the same torque manipulation gear-shifting tricks familiar to Hyundai N owners, including “gear-specfic drag torque”, or simulated downshift ‘engine braking’.

Commercially debuted on Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the game-changing innovation adds old-school convention to performance driving disciplines, especially a racetrack, where drivers use engine rpm sonics and chosen gear selection to judge actual pace, particularly in corners…rather than speedometer observation.

While Australian specifics are unconfirmed, the E-Shift tech (and necessary ‘GT Sport’ paddleshifter wheel) is offered optionally on all US-market variants and fitted as standard on the range-topped Turbo GT.  

Elsewhere, foreign market Taycans will now feature the 105kWh Performance Battery Plus (with 320kW DC charging capability) on all variants, lifting peak claimed driving range of the base rear-drive sedan to over 700 kilometres (WLTP) with some tyre combination in European spec. It’s expected that the ‘big battery’ will also be rolled out Down Under for the 2027 model year.

Radical ‘Nurburgring’ Manthey Kit road/track option  

Perhaps the most outrageous addition to the 2027 Taycan lineup (globally) is a new Manthey Kit performance upgrade package to be offered exclusively atop Turbo GT variants already fitted with the Weissach Package (IE, the model’s ultimate iteration).

The Manthey Kit is essentially a suite of features fitted to the Taycan example that, in May this year, broke the Nurburgring Nordeschiefe lap record “for luxury electric vehicles” with a time of 6min 55.55sec – eclipsing the existing record by nine seconds – at the hands of Porsche test driver Lars Kern.

The upgrade adds an outrageous aesthetic that includes higher-downforce aerodynamics – including deep sideskirts and pronounced wheel arches – and mismatched, lighter-weight 21-inch forged alloy wheel designs, with the rears featuring novel aero-enhancing carbonfibre ‘aerodiscs’. 

Under the skin, the Manthey Kit brings enhanced powertrain tuning, lifting base outputs to 600kW (from 580kW) while adding a 130kW Attack Mode that temporarily lifts peak power to 730kW for ten seconds. Launch mode remains unchanged at 760kW – a whopping 1019 old-school horsepower. 

Further, the package adds updated suspension, larger 440mm (up 20mm) front brakes and a choice of bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS track tyres, or alternative roadgoing tyres that are 40mm wider up front (305mm) and 30mm wider in the rear (335mm) than the ‘regular’ Turbo GT specification.        

It’s as yet unclear whether the Manthey Kit will be offered in Australia.