Porsche Panamera [20I0] - After the SUV comes the sedan

摘要

Ready or not, Porsche fans: the brand's first-ever four-door sedan is moving closer to production, with the cars due to start emerging from the company's Leipzig assembly plant in the fall of 2009. The Panamera's four doors will access the cabin's four seats, which are bisected by a high console that runs the full length of the interior. Company insiders promise that the Panamera will have enough room inside to comfortably accommodate adults in the rear. Luggage is stowed under a large hatchback. A front-mounted engine will drive the rear wheels, with four-wheel drive likely to join the options list within two years of launch. The Panamera is tipped to use the same 4.8-liter V-8 engines as the Cayenne - a 385/405-hp, normally aspirated unit and a turbocharged version good for 500 hp. In addition, the company has announced that the Panamera eventually will get Porsche's hybrid powertrain (set to debut in 2009 in the Cayenne), which will combine a 3.6-liter V-6 with a 46-hp (34-kW) electric motor. We also would not be surprised to see the V-6 served up solo in a base model Panamera at some point in the car's life cycle.