Porche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera (Type number 970) is a four-door, four-seat luxury sedan with a coupe profile and a rear hatch. It is front-engined with rear-wheel drive, with a four-wheel drive version also available.
The Porsche Panamera production model was unveiled at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in Shanghai, China, on April 2009.
In September 2010, Porsche announced that it had produced over 25,000 Panameras in just one year of the car's arrival in the market, ahead of its initially-projected 20,000-vehicle figure. Over 22,518 have already been delivered to customers around the world, with the most popular market being the United States and the most popular vehicle in the range being the Panamera 4S.

Concept and description

The Panamera's name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race. Earlier prototypes and concepts of the four-door saloons, such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype, the four-door 911 based prototype, and the C88 concept (a supermini sedan built in Germany and sold for China), never went into production.
The Panamera is generally considered to be the long-awaited fruit of Porsche's 989 concept from the late 1980s; some argue that it also presents itself as a successor to the two-door 928, but there may be plans to develop a new 928 as well.
The Porsche Panamera and Panamera S are marketed as a direct competitor to full-size luxury sedan such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The high performance Panamera Turbo competes in the ultra-luxury segment alongside "exotics" such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte, as well as the top-performing versions of flagship luxury sedans. Similar vehicles to the Panamera include the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class.

Like the Porsche Cayenne SUV (which has become the marque's best-selling vehicle), the Panamera upset many Porsche enthusiasts, since it was seen as an attempt to broaden Porsche's appeal beyond that of hardcore fans. The Panamera ran contrary to the company's signature offerings, particularly its light two-door rear-engine sports cars like the 911. The Panamera on the other hand is considered a full-size luxury car, weighing at nearly 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg), with four doors, and its V8 engine mounted in the front. The Panamera's unusual appearance with its long hood and bulbous rear hatch bears little resemblance to a stretched 911, although it does resemble the 911 from certain angles. The iconic 911 has a sparse interior, as it was focused on raw performance, while the Panamera has a sumptuous interior loaded with modern technological amenity and expensive leather upholstery.

Specifications

Rear view of a modified Porsche Panamera, pictured in London

The naturally aspirated versions of the Panamera have rear-wheel drive as standard, while the Turbo version includes standard four-wheel drive with Porsche Traction Management (PTM). A notable addition is the all-new ZF Friedrichshafen supplied and developed 7-speed 7DT-75 PDK dual clutch transmission.
The V8-powered Panamera S and Panamera 4S, and Panamera Turbo were the first trims that debuted. Porsche debuted two further models on February 16, 2010: the Panamera and Panamera 4 which are both powered by 3.6-litre V6 engines producing 300 horsepower. The Panamera and Panamera S are rear-wheel drive, while the Panamera 4 has the same four-wheel drive system as the 4S and Turbo. Being derived from the V8 engine of the Panamera S and Panamera 4S, the V6 retains the V8's technologies like Direct Fuel Injection, infinitely-variable intake camshaft adjustment with variable valve lift (VarioCam Plus), an on-demand oil pump, water cooling with thermal management, a variable intake manifold, as well as integrated dry sump lubrication with two-stage extraction of oil and, and an Auto Start-Stop function (only with the PDK transmission). The 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission is standard on the Panamera 4, and as an option for the European-spec Panamera whose base transmission is a 6-speed manual. They will debut in the North American and European markets in June (following a release at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2010) with starting prices of $74,400 and $78,900 for the base and 4 models respectively, although the manual transmission is only available in Europe.

The full lineup will include the Panamera base model, Panamera 4, Panamera S, Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo; a hybrid variation, the Panamera S Hybrid, was unveiled in February 2011 and will join the model range in July of the same year. US models include an engine start/stop system, and the Turbo version uses active aerodynamics with a multi-stage, adjustable rear spoiler. The latest variation, the 550 horsepower Panamera Turbo S, joined the range on March 30, 2011; it is the most powerful Porsche in the entire range. All models of the Panamera avoid the U.S. gas guzzler tax.