Autoblog

Although Porsche has yet to fully reveal its "four-door GT" to the public, it's officially announced that the Panamera will have the option to come equipped with the same gas-electric hybrid powertrain that will find it's way into the Cayenne by the end of the decade.

The parallel hybrid setup will include a battery pack fitted below the luggage compartment, along with an additional clutch and electric motor mated between the engine and transmission. Fuel consumption is expected to be reduced by around 30-percent, while still providing the same motivation you'd expect from a Porsche.

Stuttgart plans to reveal the Panamera to the world in 2009, initially with traditional gasoline-powered mills, with the hybrid to go on sale later.

Newsflash: the Panamera looks good. Or rather, the Panamera rendering that Top Gear magazine commissioned for its Bulgarian edition looks good. Which really has no bearing on whether the actual Panamera will look good. Which is a shame.

If you compare the rendering to the spy shots, you see it rescues the Panamera's sides from the tube-of-soap styling that the mules have thus far displayed. The flared wheel arches, especially at the rear, and the harder angles on the flanks give the car the kind of elegant aggression a Porsche demands. The scalloped sides, which we think are attractive but a bit gimmicky, do emphasize the growth of the car toward the rear, which is also a benefit. And the wheels: yes.

But on the subject of the rendering's posterior, which looks like a truncated Cayman... The only thing we can say is that making 3 out of 4 sides look better isn't bad. Top Gear thinks its rendering is "the best idea yet" of what the Panamera will look like. We'll all find out at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: Top Gear]

What we have here is the clearest shot yet of the Porsche Panamera's C-Pillar and backlight. Fast Lane Daily poster mcshin was quick with the shutter and nabbed the green four-door before the chase car could block the view.

It's a very chunky rump, but the lines do flow well, in a 911-tied-to-a-tree kind of way. While the camo on this Panamera is pretty light, there are still more surprises to uncover; check out the panel that covers up the middle of the doors. Could there be more coke bottle under there for us to feast our eyes on? We do hope the large spoiler doesn't make it to production as some sort of stylized version of the cliché whale tail. However it looks, we're sure that it'll perform like a Porsche, and we await the day a production Panamera winds up in the Autoblog Garage.

[Source: Fastlane Daily]

Autogespot procured a couple of shots showing a mystery vehicle cloaked under a car cover at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, and just judging by the lines, the rear overhand and the long hood, it certainly doesn't look like typical 911 fare.

The rear bumper is what confuses us the most, and seemed to give Autogespot the idea that this is a prototype for the Porsche GT/928-revival, supposedly based on the upcoming Panamera. We think that's a stretch, but we'll let you speculate below.

Thanks for the tip, Bjorn!

[Source: Autogespot]

This might be a week old, but it's still worth mentioning in case you haven't seen it yet. A video of a Porsche Panamera doing some testing was posted on MotorAuthority and popped up on Auto Play as well. In it, you see the Porsche sedan sans most of its disguise cladding, being put through its paces. And better yet, you can hear it, too. As we have said before, we expect the new Porsche to be available with your choice of everything from a hybrid V6 to a twin-turbo V8 underhood.

The sound of the car under throttle can be heard at a few points and it has a wonderfully deep growl. We'd guess it's the V8, if pressed. Porsche recently told the world that the Panamera we've been seeing in spy photos (and videos) isn't necessarily the final form, perhaps deflecting some criticism of the rather awkward shape. A production version isn't expected to be unveiled until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, so there will likely be a lot of changes between now and then.

Video clip after the jump.

Thanks for reminding us about this, Serge!

[Source: MotorAuthority via Auto Play]

click above image to view more high-res spy shots of the Panamera

It looks like either way it goes, Porsche is about to drop a bomb on the world with the Panamera. Either the car will look like the increasingly unadorned mules -- a rather unsightly melange of Boxster-Cayenne-Cayman cues -- and people will wonder "Um, was ist das?" Or in a reveal worthy of Criss Angel, the car will somehow get unrecognizably elegant by the time the production model is displayed in two years.

KGP Photography has caught a slew of new spy shots showing the car that would lead one to place the bets on the former scenario. Porsche went its own way with the Cayenne styling, and in spite of the howls from Porschephiles, the bet paid off massively. But you can mark us down as shocked if Porsche actually bestows on us a Panamera with styling as... interesting... as what we see here.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

Automakers and legislators in Europe are tightening the screws on CO2 emissions, and Porsche may turn to hybrid powertrains for the Cayenne and Panamera to meet a proposed 130 gram per kilometer limit. Bosch and Audi are reported partners in the effort to bring a gasoline/electric system to the Cayenne before 2010, with the Panamera falling in line, as well. While hybrid technology is typically used to boost fuel economy, the V8 and large vehicle size of the Porsche models are anathema to the studied aero shape of the Insight or Prius, and we doubt that Porsche has misgivings about the unbelievably strong torque delivery of an electric motor. You'll still be able to rocket around in your Wessiach thumper, but Porsche has got its eye on that 130g/kg CO2 target. If it becomes mandatory, the hybrid powertrain is a good hedge at being ready. In the meantime, Porsche is promoting a percentage reduction in CO2, rather than a blanket number for all vehicles.

[Source: Car]

According to our friends over at Motor Authority, Porsche exec Wendelin Wiedeking has officially denied the development of a cute 'ute designed to slot in below the Cayenne. This news is contrary to last month's report from Autobild that Porsche intended to share a platform with the upcoming Audi A5 and Volkswagen Tiguan, dubbing the stillborn model the "Roxster." This most recent news confirms another story reported back in May.

Wiedeking used his opportunity at the podium today to dispel the rumor and to hype the upcoming sports sedan, the Panamera. However, no word from Wiedeking about a successor to the 928 that could conceivably share a platform with the front-engine, four-door sports car.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Click image for photo gallery

Kudos to Autoblog reader and opportunistic spy photographer Herschel Brown, who snagged this green Panamera mule cruising the 405 Freeway near Carson, CA early yesterday morning. The car itself is just like some of the others we've seen before, but Herschel grabs a couple of really good looks at the side glass, which hints at the actual slope of the rear of the car. Porsche has done a good job of uglifying these Panamera mules from the B-pillar rearward in the hopes of keeping the car's true shape a secret for as long as it can. In any case, very nice catch, Herschel, and thanks for sharing the pics with us!



All Photos ©2007 Herschel Brown. Used with permission.

While Porsche is trying to take over the European automotive arena by gobbling up more and more shares of VW, it also has to keep its eye on the competition and continue to come up with killer products. The concept that seems closest to production right now is the four-door Panamera, which should arrive by 2009. The issue with a front-engine Porsche sedan is that it has nothing else with which to share its platform, unless the hot as hell 928 comes back to life.

We told you last year that the 928 would share about 60% of its parts with the Panamera, and production would begin around 2011. Since both vehicles will be more GT than sports car, the Bentley Continental GT seems like a natural corporate part donor, though powertrains are likely to be exclusive between the two brands. The GT coupe market has been ablaze of late, with entries like the V8 Vantage, Continental GT, and M6 winning praise and buyers, so we can't see Porsche sitting on the sidelines for long. Besides, heavily disguised Porsche mules have been seen testing, so it seems as though the 928 is close to a done deal.

[Source: Auto Zeitung via Motor Authority]