Automotive Blogger

The name Porsche has become synonymous with rear-engine sports cars thanks in large part to the legendary 911. However, Porsche is no stranger to the front-engine rear-drive layout. Although often thought of as the ugly step-children of the Porsche family cars like the 924, 944 and 928 have shown that Porsche is not only capable of making cars with this layout, but they do it quite effectively from both a performance and styling standpoint. Well it appears as if Porsche will venture down that road once again with a new front-engine rear-drive sedan (a Porsche first) called the Panamera.

While rumors have been floating around about the Panamera for sometime, new details have been revealed that make the 2010 US release of the Panamera seem like a done deal. A recent article in Autoweek sported computer-generated photos that show in great detail the new shape of the Porsche sedan. Part 911 and part 928 the Panamera isn’t your typical sports sedan, however it isn’t unattractive either. As a matter of fact, at first glance its swoopy body lines trick the eye into thinking it is just another beautiful two door grand touring car. But upon closer inspection four distinct doors pop into view. According to Autoweek Porsche might also bring out a 928-like coupe version of the Panamera that will sport only two doors and help to fill out the fleet.

Porsche 928
Under the hood of this concept is a 4.8 liter naturally aspirated–and turbocharged in the S package–V8 (another link to the 928) that should provide somewhere between 400 and 520 horsepower. With a top speed approaching 180 mph and 0-60 times in the sub five second range this 16 foot sedan should have plenty of get up and go, even with four adults in the car. While nothing is set in stone, word is that Porsche may also develop a base model utilizing a reworked VW sourced V6 as well as an environmentally conscious hybrid version of the Panamera sedan, with the possibility of the V6 playing an integral role in the hybrid version. Whatever the drive train configurations end up being, odds are the Panamera will share most of its components with the Porsche Cayenne.

While many people blasted Porsche when they built the Cayenne, I can’t say that I blame them for it, and same goes for the Panamera. It is idealistic to think that a car company can strictly build sports cars and make a profit. The fact is that the Cayenne sells well for them and probably foots a lot of the development cost for the cool 911s that Porsche is constantly releasing. I’m also a fan of cars like the 928 and 944 and for that reason I really like the looks of the new Panamera sedan, and hope that Porsche succeeds in bringing it to production. Another competitor in the German sport sedan arena certainly won’t hurt anything, and in fact will
probably help to keep the sedans moving in the right direction.

Check out the Autoweek story here:

Panamera
-Bill Mertz

Autoweek, Porsche, 911, 944, 928, 924, sportscar, sports car, hybrid, sedan, four door