► A flood of new Panameras are coming
► Porsche chief Oliver Blume tells all
► Estates, hybrids, coupes and more
Hybrids, shooting brake, long-wheelbase, coupe – there’ll be a Porsche Panamera for everyone (well, everyone with around £100k to spend on a family express). The German sports car maker is keen to maximise the potential of its second-generation limousine, according to CEO Oliver Blume.
The G2 Panamera has just been unveiled, in all-wheel drive 4S petrol, 4S diesel and Turbo forms, with prices starting from £88,700 in the UK. The new MSB platform naturally supports rear-wheel drive and a long-wheelbase variant, and next up, probably at the autumn’s Paris motor show, we’ll see the eco models.
The cleaner, greener Panameras are coming
Porsche ‘will come very soon with the plug-in hybrids: an entry-level plug-in hybrid and a top model,’ said Blume. ‘Plug-in versions are the best way to fulfil CO2 regulations and our performance needs. We have the possibility to put in more [hybrid] power.’
The outgoing E-Hybrid plugs in to provide an electric range of up to 22 miles, with the V6 petrol and electric motors combining for 410bhp. Expect the new V6 petrol hybrid to comfortably eclipse that as the ‘performance’ model – insiders stress that the G2 plug-in will be much sportier. A V6 diesel is tipped to be the ‘entry’ hybrid.
Click here for Georg Kacher’s first ride onboard the new Panamera.
An estate Panamera too
The ‘Sport Turismo’ shooting brake, first shown as a concept four years ago and previewing the rear light bar that has become a key Porsche design cue, is also a done deal. CEO Blume believes the new limousine’s design translates successfully into a five-door wagon, in the mould of the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso (née FF).
‘It will have a very sharp design. I think we will offer the first bodystyle in this segment, with even higher usability, space, five seats.’ While estates have typically been more to European tastes, Blume suggested the variant will be marketed in North America and China too. Expect it to arrive in late 2017.
A third bodystyle is a possibility: a four-seater GT along the lines of the 928 which has been clinicked successfully in coupé and cabriolet form. But executives are yet to approve this model, with investment reduced in the Volkswagen group post-dieselgate.
Our spyshots below show what appears to be a test mule for a Panamera coupe.
