2022 Porsche Taycan adds Android Auto, auto-park option and new colors
Porsche's Taycan EV is hardly a tech-laggard, but the automaker is giving the 2022 Taycan and its shapely 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo cousin a gadget upgrade for the new model year. Probably the most demanded feature that's finally arriving is support for Android Auto in the Porsche infotainment system, where it joins the existing Apple CarPlay integration.
It's worth noting that it's wired Android Auto, so you'll need to hook your Android phone up via the Taycan's USB-C port. Other changes to the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system will include improvements to Voice Pilot voice-control, with the automaker saying that it should be better at understanding natural language commands.
Route planning in the navigation system should be faster in the MY22 cars, too, and the UI has been reworked with new graphics. The central touchscreen now shows five menu options on the left, rather than three as in the current version of PCM 6.0, and the icons can now be rearranged by the driver too.
Remote Park Assist is being offered on the Taycan family for the first time with the new model year. That will allow for remotely maneuvering the EV in and out of parking spaces, from a paired smartphone. The driver won't need to be in the car at the time, and it should work with both parallel and perpendicular spots.
The Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo use their ultrasonic parking sensors and cameras to track the dimensions of the space, obstacles around it, and anything else needed to map a path. Meanwhile, the driver has to hold their finger on the button in the Porsche Connect app in order for the car to complete the maneuver. If they let go, the Taycan stops for safety.
Tech changes under the hood, meanwhile, include new thermal management. Using the Turbo Charging Planner, for example, the EV's high-voltage battery can be heated to a higher temperature than before, Porsche says. The upshot there is fast charging can be carried out sooner, and at a higher level, to cut overall charger times. Porsche says it's also making greater use of electric system waste heat to regulate the battery temperature.
On the outside, Porsche is planning to add some of its more distinctive colors to the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo's options. Paint to Sample includes 65 different options – including Moonlight Blue Metallic, Acid Green, Rubystar, Riviera Blue, and Viola Metallic – while Paint to Sample Plus allows for color matching. If the buyer has something they desperately want their new EV to match, Porsche can come up with a custom paint for that.
The 2022 Taycan models are expected to arrive in US dealerships toward the end of 2021.