Over here we have not 5 or 10, but 20 photographs of the much awaited Porsche Panamera, which is the first four door sports sedan from the German manufacturer. The Porsche Panamera is by far one of the most anticipated models, the official launch, still a few months away. The front-engined, rear wheel drive sporty Grand Tourer will try and make the most out of the luxury 4-door coupe-styled sedan market which will have entries like the Mercedes Benz CLS, Lamborghini Estoque and the Aston Martin Rapide.
Joining the 911, Boxster and Cayman sports cars and the Cayenne SUV, the Panamera is Porsche's fourth model series. The car is based on the same platform as the Porsche Cayenne SUV, and measures to the size of the Mercedes Benz S-Class.
2009 Porsche Panamera Image Gallery
Porsche Panamera Production-
Production of the Porsche Panamera is slated to begin in 2009 and Porsche is once again cooperating largely with German suppliers in the production of the Panamera, with close to 70 per cent of the car's overall value being created in Germany. Porsche's Leipzig factory will build the front-engine, rear-drive Panamera alongside the Cayenne SUV and the Carrera GT supercar.
Porsche Panamera Hybrid-
Porsche has also confirmed it will add a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Panamera to its lineup somewhere in 2010. It is expected to receive an adapted version of the full parallel-hybrid system that Porsche is developing with assistance from Volkswagen for the second-generation Cayenne and VW Touareg. The development of a hybrid drive indicates Porsche's interest in creating fuel-efficient cars, regardless of the market or it's competitors.
Porsche Innovation-
With no experience in the construction of a sedan, the Panamera can be considered as a new innovation for Porsche. Scheduled for an official launch at the 2009 Geneva show, the Panamera bears a low, sloping roof which somewhat limits rear-seat passenger room compared to sedans of similar overall dimensions.
International markets-
Porsche China general manager Helmut Broeker said Panamera, as Porsche's first four-door sporty car, will combine the quality of high-perfomance sporty sedan and MPV and will rival the same level models such as BMW 7-series and Audi A8. Expect the Panamera in India before 2010.
