SPY PICS: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo EV has been spotted testing in the Arctic circle, revealing much of the ballistic battery-powered wagon's exterior design.

Expected to be launched in 2021, the Cross Turismo’s front-end design appears to ape that of the regular Taycan but aft of the front doors the styling gets pretty swish, incorporating a similarly aggressive wagon shape to the Panamera Sport Turismo via a longer roof and more upright rear windscreen.

The idea here is to provide more cargo space.

Pilfering all the technical bits from the Porsche Taycan sedan – including the twin-motor layout and fast-charging 800V platform – the Taycan Cross Turismo's sophisticated estate body is designed to appeal to adventurous types who might throw a mountain bike in the back.

Pitched as an (almost) all-terrain soft-roader, the German machine will have adjustable ride height and as such likely won't get the full-biscuit 'Turbo' and 'Turbo S' EV powertrains worth 500kW/850Nm and a gob-smacking 560kW/1050Nm respectively.

And yes, we know there's no turbochargers on the Taycan EV models – that's what Porsche calls them to leverage its familial naming conventions.

Inspired by the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept revealed at the 2018 Geneva motor show, the production version of the electric estate ditches the pumped wheel-arches of the concept.

When the Porsche Taycan EV sedan launches in Australia in October 2020, with a base price tag close to $200,000, it's expected to change the face of the brand.

Ingo Appel, Porsche Australia's head of product and smart mobility, told carsales.com.au that Porsche's new EV is a significant milestone for the brand.

"It's definitely very exciting, it's Porsche's first EV and quite a bit of planning and work goes into getting ready for that. We're thinking about infrastructure etcetera and getting the dealers ready. There's quite a bit of focus on this topic," he said.

Although the Porsche Australia exec wouldn’t confirm or deny Cross Turismo's arrival in Australia, given its petrol-powered cousin – the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo –
is sold here, that charging infrastructure is expanding and that Taycan interest is running hot, there's no reason to doubt its Aussie inception.

"Expressions of interest are very good," said Appel of the Taycan sedan, pointing out that the EOIs require customers to place a (refundable) $2500 deposit to secure a car.

Porsche Cars Australia hasn't announced pricing for the new Taycan yet but will do so in early 2020, at which point the EOIs can become contracts of sale.

Expect the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo models to add a reasonable premium of around $6000 to the Taycan sedan price, reflecting a similar difference in price between Panamera sedan and wagon.

Porsche will also launch an EV version of the Porsche Macan when the second-generation model arrives in 2021.

Demand for EVs in Australia has not traditionally been strong but Appel said customer interest in electric cars is on the rise.

"We expect to see increases in regards to EV uptake in most markets around the globe. Some will be quicker, others will be a little bit slower, and we will all find out where Australia will stand."