STUTTGART, Germany — Much of the development work is now complete on the 2010 Porsche Panamera. With only the final phase of durability testing to be concluded before it is due to be signed off by chairman Wendelin Weideking, attention has begun focusing on the still heavily cloaked launch plans for the eagerly anticipated new sedan.
An official launch date for what will be the first series-production four-door sports car from Porsche has never been confirmed. Officials have merely suggested a "late 2009" on-sale time frame.
However, new component supplier information has now come to light confirming pilot production of the Panamera is planned to get under way next April — some four months earlier than initial reports had indicated — alongside the Cayenne at Porsche's Leipzig plant in Germany.
More interesting are rumors making the rounds of the German automotive industry this week, suggesting the new car is being groomed to make its public debut one month earlier — at next year's 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Porsche is remaining tight-lipped on actual plans for the Panamera. But without any official denials, an unveiling in Switzerland next March can't be ruled out.
Porsche officially puts its planned annual production of the Panamera at 20,000 units. However, this figure is widely considered to be at the conservative end of the scale. Insiders from Porsche headquarters here suggest the real target is around 26,000 a year; any more and financial contingencies would have to be made for increased capacity, according to insiders contacted by Inside Line. Still, a high level of commonality between the Panamera and the Cayenne means the new Porsche will be profitable on sales as low as 14,000 per annum.
Porsche has commissioned Volkswagen's commercial vehicle division to supply the steel body structure for the Panamera. It will be stamped, constructed and painted at Volkswagen's Hannover plant before being shipped to Porsche's Leipzig factory, where the remainder of its assembly will take place.
Styled in-house by a close-knit team of designers working under the guise of Porsche design boss Michael Mauer (formerly of Saab and Mercedes), the new sedan boasts four conventional front-hinged doors and a wide-opening liftback. It's all aimed at providing the Panamera with the sort of practicality never before seen on a Porsche sports car.
The Panamera project is being headed by Michael Steiner, an engineer who played a big role in the development of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class before being lured to Porsche in 2006.
Heavily disguised engineering prototypes spotted on the streets of Stuttgart suggest the Panamera is going to be a large, heavy car — reportedly nearly 200 inches long and weighing more than 4,000 pounds.
Three direct-injection gasoline engines are expected to be offered from the start of North American sales, which now look likely to begin in late 2009.
Kicking off proceedings will be a 3.6-liter V6, bought from Volkswagen and producing 300 horsepower, in the entry-level Panamera. Positioned above that will be the Panamera S, with a Porsche-developed 4.8-liter V8 that makes 405 hp. Rounding out the lineup will be the Panamera Turbo, challenging the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with a turbocharged 520-hp 4.8-liter V8.
Porsche has also confirmed it will add a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Panamera to its lineup in 2010. It is planned to receive an adapted version of the full parallel hybrid system Porsche is developing in operation with Volkswagen for the second-generation Cayenne and Touareg. Average fuel economy, Porsche claims, will top 25 mpg.
The entry-level V6 is expected to be sold exclusively in rear-wheel-drive guise. The V8-powered models are set to have an adapted version of the Cayenne's Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system with multiplate clutch. Among the gearbox choices will be a standard six-speed manual and an optional six-speed automatic.
Prices in Europe are expected to start at around $125,000 for the Panamera V6, ranging up to $195,000 for the Panamera Turbo. Sticker prices on the U.S. models could be slightly lower.
What this means to you: It's not Porsche's fault, but the timing for the Panamera's launch probably couldn't be much worse, considering fuel prices in Europe are approaching $10 a gallon. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent
An official launch date for what will be the first series-production four-door sports car from Porsche has never been confirmed. Officials have merely suggested a "late 2009" on-sale time frame.
However, new component supplier information has now come to light confirming pilot production of the Panamera is planned to get under way next April — some four months earlier than initial reports had indicated — alongside the Cayenne at Porsche's Leipzig plant in Germany.
More interesting are rumors making the rounds of the German automotive industry this week, suggesting the new car is being groomed to make its public debut one month earlier — at next year's 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Porsche is remaining tight-lipped on actual plans for the Panamera. But without any official denials, an unveiling in Switzerland next March can't be ruled out.
Porsche officially puts its planned annual production of the Panamera at 20,000 units. However, this figure is widely considered to be at the conservative end of the scale. Insiders from Porsche headquarters here suggest the real target is around 26,000 a year; any more and financial contingencies would have to be made for increased capacity, according to insiders contacted by Inside Line. Still, a high level of commonality between the Panamera and the Cayenne means the new Porsche will be profitable on sales as low as 14,000 per annum.
Porsche has commissioned Volkswagen's commercial vehicle division to supply the steel body structure for the Panamera. It will be stamped, constructed and painted at Volkswagen's Hannover plant before being shipped to Porsche's Leipzig factory, where the remainder of its assembly will take place.
Styled in-house by a close-knit team of designers working under the guise of Porsche design boss Michael Mauer (formerly of Saab and Mercedes), the new sedan boasts four conventional front-hinged doors and a wide-opening liftback. It's all aimed at providing the Panamera with the sort of practicality never before seen on a Porsche sports car.
The Panamera project is being headed by Michael Steiner, an engineer who played a big role in the development of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class before being lured to Porsche in 2006.
Heavily disguised engineering prototypes spotted on the streets of Stuttgart suggest the Panamera is going to be a large, heavy car — reportedly nearly 200 inches long and weighing more than 4,000 pounds.
Three direct-injection gasoline engines are expected to be offered from the start of North American sales, which now look likely to begin in late 2009.
Kicking off proceedings will be a 3.6-liter V6, bought from Volkswagen and producing 300 horsepower, in the entry-level Panamera. Positioned above that will be the Panamera S, with a Porsche-developed 4.8-liter V8 that makes 405 hp. Rounding out the lineup will be the Panamera Turbo, challenging the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with a turbocharged 520-hp 4.8-liter V8.
Porsche has also confirmed it will add a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Panamera to its lineup in 2010. It is planned to receive an adapted version of the full parallel hybrid system Porsche is developing in operation with Volkswagen for the second-generation Cayenne and Touareg. Average fuel economy, Porsche claims, will top 25 mpg.
The entry-level V6 is expected to be sold exclusively in rear-wheel-drive guise. The V8-powered models are set to have an adapted version of the Cayenne's Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system with multiplate clutch. Among the gearbox choices will be a standard six-speed manual and an optional six-speed automatic.
Prices in Europe are expected to start at around $125,000 for the Panamera V6, ranging up to $195,000 for the Panamera Turbo. Sticker prices on the U.S. models could be slightly lower.
What this means to you: It's not Porsche's fault, but the timing for the Panamera's launch probably couldn't be much worse, considering fuel prices in Europe are approaching $10 a gallon. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent
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