Porsche is simultaneously very open and very clever when it comes to testing its future vehicles. There's no question that swirling camouflage wrap grabs far more attention than a simple black exterior. Instead, Porsche stays low-key with strategic use of black tape on black prototypes, giving the impression of a normal vehicle to folks who happen to see it. It takes a close look and a keen eye to see what's really happening.

That continues to be the case with the forthcoming Porsche Cayenne facelift. Test vehicles were first spotted in February 2021, and we last saw Coupe prototypes in late January 2022. A new photo set catches two different trim levels testing in public: a standard Coupe and a muscular Turbo GT, easily identifiable by its centre-mount dual-exhaust outlets. Of particular interest here is the standard Cayenne Coupe, which is seen rocking new production-spec taillights for the first time. However, there's a bit more to it than that.

Gallery: Porsche Cayenne Coupe, Turbo GT Facelift New Spy Photos

The overall shape won't be changing much, with narrow corner lenses connected horizontally with a strip spanning the rear gate. The design looks pretty active at a glance, but that's exactly what Porsche wants you to think. In this case, a combination of black tape and red tape hide what's underneath, which is a thicker horizontal strip with reverse-light elements stretching further across. It looks very similar – or quite possibly identical – to lights we've seen on standard Porsche Cayenne test vehicles.

Shifting our attention to the Turbo GT, we see quite a bit of black tape around the grille and vents of the front fascia. At a glance it looks like there's nothing to hide, but tape conceals the true shape of the vents.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Front View Facelift Spy Photo
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Rear View Facelift Spy Photo

New headlights will also be part of this facelift, but at the rear we see nothing fresh. The current taillight design is in full view, suggesting the GT will soldier on with a more distinctive backside versus its siblings.

The current Cayenne Coupe isn't old by any means, and the Turbo GT just debuted in the summer of 2021. It seems Porsche is keen to keep its flagship SUV at the top of the food chain, as we expect the updated models to debut for the 2023 model year.