Only ten months after the start of worldwide sales, Porsche AG’s Leipzig factory has already built the 25,000th Panamera.
The milestone vehicle, a ruby-red Panamera with an efficient 3.6-litre, 300-horsepower six-cylinder engine, will be delivered to a customer in the USA.
“The benchmark performance of our Panamera V6 models wins over our customers worldwide,” said Porsche Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Bernhard Maier. “Even in the USA, a country with a preference for V8 engines, they impress with their efficiency and sportiness. The 4-door combines these aspects with the comfort and exclusivity of the luxury class,”
The Panamera has been on sale globally since September 2009, initially with the 8-cylinder Panamera S, Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo. Since May 2010, the Panamera and Panamera 4 have supplemented the product range with their V6 engines.
In addition to the Panamera, the sporty, all-terrain Cayenne is also being produced in the same facility in the State of Saxony.
Getting lost on the way to the track is no fun, with one exception: Porsche just handed you a 2011 Panamera V6 and an elaborate route to delay your trip between the airport and Barber Motorsports Park, where you’re scheduled to further explore Porsches on-track and closer to their limit then you could ever get on the road.
PorschePurist is back in Birmingham, Alabama, and I’m getting ready to spend time with the Panamera V6 and Cayenne (including the much anticipated Hybrid). Over the next two days, I will drive the full range of Cayenne models and the Panamera V6 – Porsche’s newest introduction to the growing Panamera model line. The venue of choice, Barber Motorsports Park, is not only visually impressive (Barber is a lover of four and two-wheeled vehicles, as well as.) The famed track is lined with all sorts of sculpture and the on-site Barber Museum boasts the largest collection of motorcycles under one roof (approx. 1200), one of the largest collections of Lotus and various other automotive assets from Bonneville salt flat racers to street and racing Porsches from years past. There’s even a 2002 Arrows F1 poised on the roof of the elevator! The icing on the cake? Barber is also the home track for the Porsche Sport Driving School (the pictures immediately below and further down use flash, if you’re having trouble viewing them in your email simply click on the title of this post to view on the site).
Adding to the already good mix of Barber and Porsche is a solid group of experienced Porsche drivers, who will serve as my “guides” as I get to know the new Panamera and next generation Cayenne. David Donohue, David Murry and Porsche icon Hurley Haywood, to name a few, are on site gingerly answering my questions and encouraging me to… (yes! back to full throttle.”)
During this visit, I’ll be looking to compare the Panamera to the Panamera S I drove in last year, test the subtle differences between the 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive versions and test the entirely new generation of Cayenne (especially the hybrid drive). The Gen 2 models have lost 400 lbs and are practically 90 percent new (all share the same engines except for the hybrid). I am really looking forward to the 2011 Cayenne. We will test the new clutch based all-wheel drive system on the race track and on the off-road course and have our first drive with the PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus).
Check in with us over the next week or two for the Panamera V6 and Cayenne reviews, coming soon!
Let us know and you can win some cool prizes including a copy of Porsche: The Fine Art of the Sports Car and a PorschePurist Long Sleeve shirt that’s great for DE events. Read on for more info.
Everyday it seems like a new award is being announced for the Porsche Panamera. Can the four dour Gran Tourismo really be all that and more? Apparently, it can. Since its U.S. introduction in October 2009, the Panamera has received recognition and awards from at least nine (9) different publications including Playboy and Car and Driver.
Amazingly, the nine awards above are just the tip of the iceberg as they don’t take into account accolades awarded by the press outside of the US. Anyone want to take a guess at the total number of awards the Panamera has received as of today (including those listed above)? Let us know by answering below in the comment section (click the title of the post if you’re reading this in your email) Anyone that can give us the complete number and the name of the awards not listed here will receive a PorschePurist long sleeve shirt great for DE events. In addition, one random winner will receive a copy of Porsche: The Fine Art of The Sports Car. Good luck!
According to editors of Ward’s AutoWorld, the new Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo’s inner sanctum is the industry’s most “inspired design.”
Introduced last fall, the Panamera is Porsche’s first-ever four-door sports car. It was conceived and designed as a grand touring car, combining Porsche’s renowned driving performance with a supremely comfortable and luxurious interior.
A team of eight Ward’s editors evaluated 40 vehicles that have either all-new or significantly upgraded interiors this year. The vehicles were divided into segments, and Ward’s bestowed special awards for outstanding achievements in key areas, with the Panamera’s interior winning for the most “Inspired Design.”
Porsche’s design team chose the highest quality materials for the Panamera’s interior, combining them with an innovative design language that sets a new standard for Porsche in terms of feeling, flair and elegance. Additionally, this new design language is continued in the upcoming all-new Porsche Cayenne and is featured on the new 918 Spyder concept.
Inspired by the iconic Carrera GT, the Panamera Gran Turismo also boasts a logical, intuitive control concept. For example, the center console extends all the way through the interior from front to rear, offering the driver optimum ergonomics while at the same time highlighting each passenger’s personal space. An array of control buttons provide immediate access to key functions, rather than causing the driver to scroll through an on-screen menu. And, unique to the class, rear passengers enjoy free, unrestricted visibility to the front, with the interior design giving each rear-seat passenger a feeling of direct participation – a cockpit for four that involves everyone in the Porsche driving experience.
“For years, the focus on safety and functionality has given us drab, uninspired vehicle interiors,” said Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. “This year’s winners show style and original design is becoming as important inside the vehicle as it already is to the sheet metal outside.”
Ward’s Automotive Group is one of the world leading providers of auto industry news, data and analysis having served the industry’s information needs for nearly 80 years.
One heck of a scary police concept cruiser from Porsche Tuner Oakley Design. We’ve seen Porsche Cayenne Ambulances and Porsche 911 Police Cars, but this is the first Panamera we’ve ever seen wearing a law enforcement badge instead of a Porsche one.
Oakley Design used an already aggressive Porsche Panamera Turbo and developed a concept cruiser that shaves weight (more than 75 kilos or 165lbs), adds power (at least 80 more ponies) and bright blue lights to create a 580 HP Panamera Pursuit (we just made up the name, but maybe Oakley will like it enough to license it from us). Imagine seeing this in your rear-view mirror. Unless you’re in a Porsche GT2 (and even then) it would probably be best to just give up from the start. See details in the video below.
Following the successful start of the Panamera into the market, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is rapidly expanding the range of models available: Starting in May 2010, both the Panamera and the Panamera 4 will be at the dealership as the new entry-level versions leading into Porsche’s Gran Turismo model series.
Both models are powered by a brand-new 3.6-litre V6 featuring Direct Fuel Injection and developing maximum output of 300 bhp (220 kW) plus peak torque of 400 Nm/295 lb-ft. Following Porsche’s nomenclature, the Panamera transmits its power to the road via the rear wheels, while the Panamera 4 comes as standard with active all-wheel drive.
The two new versions of Porsche’s Gran Turismo are convincing examples of the Porsche Intelligent Performance consistent development strategy. Equipped with PDK Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (Porsche Double-Clutch Gearbox) and Auto Start Stop, both models consume far less than 10 litres of fuel on 100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle: The Panamera makes do with a mere 9.3 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 30.4 mpg imp), the Panamera 4 averages 9.6 litres/100 kilometres, equal to 29.4 mpg imp. Nineteen-inch all-year tyres with optimised roll resistance available as an option reduce these consumption figures by another 0.2 litres/100 kilometres, giving the Panamera a CO2 rating of just 213 g/km, the Panamera 4 an equally impressive 220 g/km. Both V6 versions of the Panamera fulfil the strict EU5 emission standard in Europe and the LEV standard in the United States.
Superior economy and performance typical of the brand do not rule out each other on these new V6 Gran Turismos. On the contrary – the ideal combination of these qualities is attributable to consistent lightweight construction as one particular highlight, with the axles, doors, engine compartment lid, wings and the rear lid all made either of aluminium or a combination of aluminium and magnesium. At the same time the brand-new V6 power unit built at Porsche’s engine plant in Zuffenhausen and boasting a 90o cylinder angle is approximately 30 kg or 66 lb lighter than the eight-cylinder featured in the Panamera S and 4S, thus contributing to the low overall weight of the Panamera of just 1,730 kg or 3,815 lb.
Like the proven V8 models, both the Panamera and the Panamera 4, as genuine Gran Turismos, combine sporting character with a high standard of comfort and everyday driving qualities. Apart from the regular steel suspension available as an option with variable dampers, adaptive air suspension with additional air volume is also available on request. This provides a very wide range of suspension qualities and features extending from an even higher level of motoring comfort at one end all the way to extremely sporting driving dynamics at the other.
The Panamera and Panamera 4 will be making their world debut at the Beijing Motor Show as of 23 April 2010. Both models will be entering the German market in May 2010 and are scheduled to enter the US market in June.
The Porsche Panamera has been chosen as the best car in its class yet another time. Today Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is receiving the next outstanding award for its new four-door Gran Turismo, with the readers of the renowned motoring journal “auto motor und sport” having chosen the Panamera right from the start in its first year as No 1 in the Luxury Performance Segment.
Following its market launch in September, the Panamera has therefore scored a perfect hat trick in Germany’s largest audience and expert awards, after having won the “Golden Steering Wheel” awarded by “Bild am Sonntag” and “Auto Bild” and the “Auto Trophy“ presented by “Auto Zeitung”.
The “Best Cars” readers’ choice held by “auto motor und sport” since 1977 also considers the results of the magazine’s foreign editions. A further point is that customers likewise confirm the great popularity of the Panamera, with the 10,000th Panamera being built and delivered by Porsche Plant Leipzig as early as in December 2009.
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Imagine seeing this in your rear-view mirror. Unless you’re in a Porsche GT2 (and even then) it would probably be best to just give up from the start. See details in the video below.
