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Porsche Panamera performance hybrid coming, four-cylinder ruled out

The Porsche Panamera range is set to see the addition of a more performance-focused hybrid model.


The brand has already detailed four models in the four-door sedan range, including the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid all-wheel-drive setup that offers claimed acceleration of 4.6 seconds from 0-100km/h thanks to its 340kW/700Nm drivetrain. Fuel use is pegged at a claimed 2.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

But apparently that’s not enough in terms of hybrid performance, with Porsche executive board member for research and development, Michael Steiner, telling CarAdvice at the 2016 Paris motor show that there’s more to come.

“You are right … we will do one more hybrid version of the Panamera, and this will be more in the direction of a high performance derivative,” he said.

“Today I’m not willing to tell you more, but it will be better performing than the existing one,” he said. By better performing, we take his assertion to mean it will have more performance, not better economy (the other measure of performance of hybrid vehicles).

“This Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is a pretty sporty hybrid version, especially compared to the last Panamera – much more performance and much more agility, and also more range. And there will be something that is clearly, performance-wise, ahead of this,” he said.

As for other models to join the Panamera range, it’s clear Steiner and the crew from Stuttgart see plenty of potential for a bigger range of models.

“Just look at the existing spread, that could give you some ideas what could be done,” he said.

So, the current Panamera range has the 4S, 4S Diesel, 4 E-Hybrid and Turbo variants, which means we could see additions such as the GTS, S and Turbo S models. Plus the new performance hybrid.

Oh, and then there’s the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo wagon model, which Steiner said will appeal to a different buyer group.

Pictured: an artist's impression of how the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo could look

“It will have more functionality that comes from the concept. So you add some trunk. And also we have different looks – totally different – so it depends a little bit on the taste, if you think it’s even more sporty,” he said.

“In Europe people think such cars are really sporty, more modern, and even more sporty than the Panamera. Other markets think the fly-line, like the new Panamera S, is the most sportiest you could do. It depends a little bit on taste,” Steiner said, preaching to the converted – collectively we love fast wagons here at CarAdvice.

“We should do best to deliver cars to help balance demand, and if you would have the full range now, it would be no fun for customers – they wouldn’t have to wait, to wait,” he said.

“So let’s do the ramp up production wise, deliver the customers with the model trim variants we have already, and then at the right timing we will add variants like the Sport Turismo. Otherwise you would leave the market with a huge demand spot and you could not deliver it,” Steiner added.

He also imparted that there would be no four-cylinder base model version of the Panamera offered.

“Definitely not short term,” Steiner said. “This depends also to a certain extent on legislation and regulation, as long as we are not forced to do such a thing, we would not do that.

“The car is very sporty, but it’s also a luxury kind of saloon car that needs from a powerplant some serenity or a relaxed driving without pushing too much to get any performance out of a really small engine,” he said.

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