New Porsche Panamera - A sports car performance, comfort of a luxury saloon - High Hopes | ET Autolytics

New Porsche Panamera - A sports car performance, comfort of a luxury saloon

Porsche recently celebrated the world premiere of the second generation of the Gran Turismo - the new Panamera in Berlin.

The new Porsche Panamera reconciles two contrasting characteristics more than ever before: it offers both the performance of a sports car and the comfort of a luxury saloon.

"In the new model, you see here a completely redeveloped automobile – with new engines, a new design and new technologies. Also new is that we are now manufacturing the second generation vehicle entirely at our Leipzig production site. We have also invested a sum of 500 million euros – which includes a completely new body manufacturing facility,” emphasised Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG.

It comes equipped with new twin-turbo engines, new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission which is up to 16% more fuel-efficient.

At the beginning of November, the Panamera will launch on the market with three different engines and exclusively with all-wheel drive: as the Panamera Turbo with 404 kW / 550 hp, the Panamera 4S with 324 kW / 440 hp, and the Panamera 4S Diesel with 310 kW / 422 hp.

The Panamera has features as a new three-chamber air suspension, rear axle steering and the new electronic 4D Chassis Control chassis management system.

In the new Panamera, Porsche is also introducing a future-oriented display and control concept. In addition, the new Porsche Communication Management (PCM 4.1) offers an entirely new range of connectivity by its intelligent digital functions and online services.

It extends existing vehicle functions by adding digital services and apps such as those used for remote control of certain vehicle functions by smartphone – and others to more efficiently use one’s time during the drive.

Porsche expects to increase sales of the redesigned Panamera sedan by at least a third next year, its chief executive said, counting on enhanced digital features and more efficient engines to boost demand for the $125,000 model.

The company is targeting luxury-car buyers with a sportier, sleeker version of the four-door Panamera that is due to hit European showrooms in November and Chinese dealerships early next year.

To tap growth in its largest market, Porsche will offer an extended version to Chinese buyers - many of whom have drivers - which is 15 centimeters (6 inches) longer than the standard model, Chief Executive Oliver Blume said.

"China is still on a high level, though not where it was two to three years ago," Blume said during the model's unveiling in Berlin.

The company expect (global) sales to be slightly above the level of 20,000 cars per year originally targeted for the Panamera when it was launched in 2009, he said. A total of 15,004 of the cars were sold last year.

Sales of the Panamera, which saves costs by sharing a platform with models from Volkswagen's (VW) Audi and Bentley brands, may more than double to 35,444 cars by 2020.

Despite parent VW's diesel emissions scandal, there were no discussions among top managers at the group to discontinue the Panamera's diesel version which surges to 100 kilometers an hour in 4.5 seconds.

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