Porsche Panamera: Nice preview

Saturday, April 14, 2007

We found a nice preview of the upcoming Porsche Panamera. At least these photoshops look much better than the spy shots...

Design work is being handled by former Saab man Michael Mauer, but like all Porsches, the Panamera will feature the brand’s iconic shape and headlight design. Measuring in at close to 16 feet in length, the Panamera will provide ample legroom for its four passengers and with a turbocharged V8 engine under the hood it should easily fly past the 180mph mark. Other derivatives that will likely make it to production include a high-performance hybrid version with a V6 engine as well as a rumored V10 flagship.

Like the rest of Porsche’s range, the Panamera picks up conventional unibody construction for its internal structure but reports suggest designers are also employing aluminum to save weight. To speed production and save costs, much of the car’s drivetrain is being lifted directly from its Cayenne sibling. However, the rest of the Panamera’s mechanicals, including the double wishbones and multilink suspension systems, are said to be unique.