The 2021 Porsche Taycan is rolling into its second model year with a few updates. It’s largely the same car as it was for 2020, but there are some tech enhancements we’ll go over below.

Before the tech, let's talk acceleration. Porsche has revised its quarter mile and 0-124 mph acceleration figures. It now sprints through the quarter mile in 10.7 seconds (one tenth quicker) and does 0-124 mph in 9.6 seconds (two tenths quicker). The 2021 car is no quicker than before, but further testing and more data collection has shown Porsche that the car can achieve these numbers.
Porsche adds a battery preservation charge mode for 2021. When at DC fast chargers, this selectable mode will limit the charging capacity at 200 kW. This is best used if you can make a longer stop, as Porsche says it prolongs the life of the battery and reduces power loss when charging. The standard 270 kW speed is used by default, though, assuming you’ve found an 800-volt high-power charging station.Charging is made easier with a new “Plug & Charge” feature. Authentication of your purchase at Electrify America stations will now be done automatically in the background. All you need to do is plug in, and the transaction is processed for you.

A color head-up display joins the options list for 2021. Additionally, Porsche’s Smartlift function to control ride height and raise the car's front end over road obstacles can now be programmed to automatically rise in certain recurring locations. The lift function only works if you have the adaptive air suspension. The PCM infotainment system is also updated, adding SiriusXM 360L to its media suite.

More colors outside and inside are available for 2021. New exterior paint options include: Mahogany Metallic, Frozenberry Metallic, Cherry Metallic, Coffee Beige Metallic, Chalk, Neptune Blue and Ice Grey Metallic. And five new interior options join the new paint: Black/Limestone Beige standard interior, Blackberry and Blackberry/Slate Grey leather interior, Graphite Blue/Slate Grey Race-Tex interior, and a Basalt Black/Meranti Brown OLEA Club Leather interior.

Lastly, Porsche has detailed some of its “Function on Demand” subscription-based features it will offer for the Taycan in the new model year. Owners will be allowed to purchase a number of functions after the fact via a monthly or yearly subscription model. For 2021, Porsche says four new functions will be available to outright purchase, and three will be available as monthly subscriptions. The two new “functions” available for 2021 are Active Lane Keep Assist and InnoDrive. Porsche’s lane-keeping will help keep the driver centered in the lane through steering intervention. And InnoDrive “individually adapts the speed of the vehicle to the conditions ahead, with specific consideration for speed limits, turns, traffic circles, and situations where you have to yield or stop.”

The 2021 Taycan will be available for ordering in the fourth quarter this year, and will begin to arrive in dealers during the first quarter of 2021.

Porsche's sales in the United States, its second-largest global market, took a significant hit earlier in 2020 as lock-downs swept across the nation. Its recovery has been quicker than expected, and company CEO Oliver Blume told Autoblog that strong demand for the electric Taycan has helped it turn the situation around.

"We're achieving a v-shaped recovery; a fast drop, followed by a fast rise. Sales started to rebound in June, and that trend has continued to accelerate through the third quarter," he affirmed. Launched earlier in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Taycan (pictured) now stands proud as Porsche's third-best-selling model, behind the Macan and the Cayenne and ahead of the Panamera. Upcoming new variants, like the Cross Turismo station wagon expected to break cover in the coming months, will ensure demand for the model stays high.

Blume added Porsche's efforts in digitalization helped it recover more quickly than many of its rivals. Its dealers have invested in digital sales channels, home delivery programs, and subscription services. Going digital also allowed employees at all levels, in the United States and abroad, to continue working during lock-downs.

Navigating the treacherous waters of 2020 has made Porsche more savvy, Blume said, citing three key lessons from the ordeal: to concentrate on the essentials, to be organized and to help communities in need.

After taking steps to keep its employees safe and healthy, it analyzed where to allocate its resources and reached out to community leaders to offer its assistance. "We as a company feel responsible for the community," he stressed. In Germany, Porsche's purchasing experience helped government officials buy medical supplies. In Spain, its employees cooked meals for people in need. In the United States, it raised over $500,000 for the United Way's Community Response and Recovery Fund by auctioning a limited-edition 911 Speedster.

"Of course, there is still much uncertainty, but in the United States we are rebounding faster than we expected at the beginning of the pandemic," Blume concluded.

It sounds like a wedding dance, but electric drift is the latest automotively themed Guinness record to be set. To be specific, it has to do with the Porsche Taycan EV, which now holds the world record for longest drift of an electric vehicle. The bar was set at the second German Porsche Experience Center, which opened October 2019 at the Hockenheimring.

The pre-production Taycan drifted for 55 continuous minutes around a 200-foot-long skidpad. Judges, including 2018-19 European drifting champion Denise Ritzmann, were on hand to check if the front tires ever pointed in the same direction as the curve. But PEC chief instructor Dennis Retera was able to hold the car in oppo for the entire 210 laps, or 42.171 kilometers. The average speed was 28.6 mph. Driving stability programs were all switched off, of course.

For drifting purists, this may seem like a cop-out, as the PEC had sprinklers irrigating the track to keep it low-traction. A more true-to-form feat would have been a record-setting drift in dry conditions, tires squealing and smoking in protest.

Regardless, it's an accomplishment. Retera said that it was "Very tiring for me to keep my concentration high for 210 laps." The Dutchman continued, "I concentrated on controlling the drift with the steering – this is more efficient than using the accelerator pedal and reduces the risk of spinning.”

It should be pointed out though, that the Taycan in question is a rear-wheel-drive model, which hasn't been confirmed for the United States. It is for sale in China, though, minus one electric motor from the AWD version. It's still good for 402 horsepower with a 79.2 kWh Performance Battery, or 469 horses with the 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus. It costs about 20% less than the AWD Taycan, so if the U.S. pricing structure matched China's it could cost around $85,000. Porsche says its U.S. availability is "in consideration".