Forthcoming Panamera Creating Waves Of Expansion

Panamera Photos

The orange parts of the building are what's planned for the expansion of the existing Leipzig facility. (Photo: Porsche)

Could this be what the Panamera will look like? (Photo: Artist's Rendering)

Porsche released a sketch of the Panamera not too long ago. The idea of a four-door Porsche has peoples' minds working on overdrive. (Photo: Porsche)

When Porsche announces that they plan to build a whole new model line, it’sbig news. Recent models like the Cayenne and Cayman were met with great interest from both media and enthusiasts alike, so much so that the Cayenne is the best selling vehicle the company offers and the Cayman continues to impress 911 devotees. What makes these cars so good is the one thing they all have in common; they’re Porsches. They deliver all of the day-to-day convenience and luxury capabilities their owners need, plus they offer unparalleled driving pleasure.

Fans of the marque will recall the 928 (1980-1995), Porsche’s last true GT car. It broke with tradition with its front-engine, rear transaxle layout, not to mention its big V8 driving the rear wheels. To this day, its design elements are as distinctive as they are attractive. Porsche seems to share this opinion, and has decided to apply some of the 928’s aesthetic fundamentals to its upcoming four-door Panamera. Rather than a sedan, think of the Panamera as a highly evolved 928 and you’ll be on the right track. It’s sort of a four-door coupe, along the lines of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Along with the CLS, the new Porsche will also go up against Maserati’s Quattroporte, Aston Martin’s upcoming Rapide, BMW’s long-anticipated four-door coupe, shown this week in Shanghai as the Concept CS, and others.

Insiders expect this car to launch in 2009, although no concrete details have been confirmed at this point. Engine choices will probably be sourced from the Cayenne lineup, resulting in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged variants of Porsche’s 4.8-liter V8. Since the Cayenne Turbo mill now produces an even 500 horsepower, it’ll have no problem providing thrust for the lighter Panamera. There have been hints that the V10 from the mighty Carrera GT may find its way into the engine bay (in limited numbers and at a premium) in the future.

As far as the rest of the mechanical bits go, we’ll all have to wait until Porsche comes forward with more information closer to final production. Although only speculative, the company is in heavy development of a dual clutch transmission. This only makes sense, of course,being that Porsche now owns controlling interest in Volkswagen, which makes the much revered DSG transmission. If produced, this would mean that the Big 5 German manufacturers would all offer a sequential manual. Other automakers would be wise to catch on fast, as this seems to be the sporting transmission of the future. The other big surprise is that Porsche is hinting at a hybrid variant, a first ever for the company.

Installation of these not yet confirmed mechanicals will happen at Porsche’s Leipzig plant. It was recently announced that it has received a 150 million euro ($204 million USD) infusion to facilitate production of the Panamera alongside the Cayenne. This includes a total of 522,050 square feet of added space and the addition of a driver and vehicle dynamics analysis center. Given the sporting pedigree that beats within all of its models, the Panamera should set a new performance benchmark for large GT inspired vehicles. When the Panamera hits the streets and driving impressions begin surfacing, it should be quite clear that Porsche’s investment has been well spent.