28 Jul 05 14:50
In a move widely predicted, Porsche has announced that the Panamera four-door super-saloon will go into production. The new Porsche, which will go on sale in 2009, will boast a front-mounted V8 engine driving the rear wheels. The project will cost the company one billion Euros, which will be entirely funded by the company, and expected annual sales will top 20,000 units.
The Panamera will come with the same 4.5-litre V8 as the Cayenne, offered in turbo and normally-aspirated forms, and, in the range-topping model, a detuned version of the Carrera GT's 5.7 V10. The new Porsche will be a four-door fastback coupe in the vein of the Mercedes-Benz CLS; it will be front-engined, with its platform co-developed with Volkswagen, which will use this as the basis of its long-awaited C1, VW's BMW 5-Series rival. I Dr Wendelin Wiedeking, the President and CEO of Porsche said: "We have indeed taken a lot of time in making this decision. But now we know one thing for sure: the Panamera is the right car for Porsche, as it has all that typical DNA characteristic of a genuine sports car. In terms of performance, design, and driving dynamics it meets Porsche's high standards in every respect.
Wiedeking's response is clearly anticipating the howls of protest from Porsche purists, who regarded the launch of Porsche's offroader Cayenne as a heretical corruption of the brand. A saloon car, while more acceptable to the hardcore, will likely attract similar approbation. Production of the Panamera is to be in Leipzig, where Porsche already builds the Cayenne and the Carrera GT high-performance sportscar. We'll almost certainly see a concept car for Panamera at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.
